


New Day, New Challenges

by SonicCrazyGal



Series: ITT AU [2]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Angst, Family Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:00:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 56
Words: 58,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27533407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicCrazyGal/pseuds/SonicCrazyGal
Summary: A series of connected OneShots that explore the lives of Henry and the others as they adjust to life outside the studio for my ITT au. Prepare for lots of fluffs and feels in the coming stories ahead.
Relationships: Henry Stein/Linda Stein
Series: ITT AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2005843
Comments: 4
Kudos: 91





	1. Jump Scared

Bendy was staring out the window. He just loved seeing the colors of the outside world, though he made sure to stay out of sight of anyone walking on the street. Everything was so vibrant and full of life, Bendy still got overwhelmed by everything after being trapped in the studio for so long. Still, the window could only hold his attention for so long and Bendy soon stepped back, deciding to see what the others were up to.

Bendy knew that Henry was upstairs as he was still trying to help restore several of the others as best he could. If Bendy remembered correctly, he was working on the Butcher gang today. Bendy tended to spend most of his time at Henry's side, but outside of providing the extra ink Henry needed, there wasn't much Bendy could do to help. Besides, most of the others were still wary of him, especially while they were in such a vulnerable state, so it was best if he stayed away.

Bendy decided to head to the kitchen, planning to steal a few cookies that Linda had made yesterday when soft music coming from the living room drew his attention. Veering in that direction, Bendy peeked around the corner, He spotted Sammy playing on the piano, the ink man doing so often as it seemed to help him stay grounded. Bendy's grin widened at the sight of Sammy's back towards him, a stirring of his toonish mischievousness rising within him.

Bendy quietly crept around the corner and began sneaking up on the unsuspecting man, eager to see his frightened reaction. Right before Bendy prepared to pounce, he froze as memories from the studio flooded through his mind. Images of sneaking around corners, pouncing on and killing ink creatures of all sorts, but strongest of all was killing Sammy when he had called to him.

Bendy let out a small distressed whine and scrambled backward. Ink began to drip down his face and his form bubbled. Sammy heard the commotion behind him and stopped playing.

"My Lo- I mean… Bendy?" Sammy asked as he turned around but the little Ink Demon had already fled.

I have to get to Henry… Henry was always able to keep me calm… Henry would make sure I didn't become a monster… Bendy's thought's raced as he stumbled up the stairs. His limb's sizes fluctuated as his instincts tried to force him to transform back into his more capable Ink Demon form, but Bendy kept forcing them to shrink back down. He let out another distressed whine as he finally tripped onto the upper floor. He scrambled forward, sometimes on two legs, sometimes on all fours, before bursting into the room where Henry was.

"Bendy?!" Henry said in surprise and confusion as Bendy latched onto his leg. "Hey… it's alright buddy… what's the matter?"

Bendy couldn't really respond outside of a bunch of distressed whines and whistles, burying his face into Henry's leg as inky tears flowed freely, staining Henry's pants.

"Come here you little devil," Henry said, bending down to pick up Bendy before turning to Edgar. He had healed the toon's mouth after removing the stitches from it. "Why don't we take a break for a bit while I calm Bendy down. Maybe try some of Linda's cookies now that you can eat and we'll continue fixing you up later."

Edgar nodded and shambled out of the room along with Charley and Barely. The door closed behind them and Henry sat down while still holding Bendy.

"Everything's fine," Henry whispered comfortingly while rubbing Bendy's back. "It's alright… you're safe here… It's alright…"

Henry continued to do his best to comfort the little ink demon and eventually Bendy calmed down, his form stabilizing again.

"There you go," Henry smiled down at Bendy as the toon finally felt comfortable enough to unbury his face from Henry's chest. "Now… are you ready to tell me what upset you?"

Bendy just shook his head and looked down. There was no way whistles and hand gestures would be enough to convey the fear he had about turning back into a monster. And even he could talk fully, he didn't think he was ready to admit it yet…

"It's alright," Henry assured, rubbing Bendy between the horns and getting a soft purr from the toon. "This is hard on all of us, so take as much time as you need. I'll always be here for you."

Bendy just nodded and snuggled into Henry's chest in appreciation. Henry had done so much for Bendy and the toon could never repay his creator for his kindness. The most Bendy could do was make sure he wouldn't turn back into the monster he had been. He couldn't do anything remotely bad even if it meant denying himself his toon instincts. The risk was just too great…

Bendy pushed those thoughts aside for now as he listened to Henry's heartbeat. At least he could always count on Henry…


	2. First Word

Bendy was eagerly looking out the window, though not for the view this time. Henry had gone out to run a few errands for Linda and was due to be back any moment now. It had been over a month since he and Henry had been able to break the loop and the weeks that followed their escape had not been easy. Henry had worked hard to restore the physical forms of everyone, but scars still remained, especially those of the mental variety. There wasn't a single one of them that wasn't plagued by nightmares and many of them suffered from flashbacks and panic attacks.

When they weren't dealing with such extreme personal trauma, all the escapees had a hard time figuring out how to act around each. They had all spent years locked in a never-ending fight for survival, even before Joey had tricked Henry into being the hero of the story he was crafting. It was hard to face those you had either spent killing or being killed by. Bendy himself had a hard time being around most of the others as he had been the source of their deaths many times. Plus he could tell most of them couldn't help but be wary of him as well (a small dark part of Bendy relished in their fear and it scared the little toon deeply). Boris was the only one Bendy felt comfortable being around at the moment and would often play with him.

But despite all the chaos and having to deal with his own issues, Henry had been a rock to everyone. Both he and Linda were extremely patient and helped everyone as they slowly adjusted to being out of the Studio. Bendy himself couldn't help but stick by his Creator, as Henry made him feel safe. When Henry was around, Bendy didn't have to worry about turning back into a villain. When Henry was around, Bendy could more easily remember the toon he was supposed to be.

Bendy perked up as he both heard and saw Henry's car drive up. He smiled as he pressed his face up against the glass and watched as Henry got out, carrying a shopping bag. Bendy dropped from the window and scampered to the door, arriving there just as Henry opened the door. Bendy let out an excited whistle at seeing his Creator and latched onto his leg.

"I missed you too little buddy," Henry chuckled as he put down his bag and gave Bendy a smile. "Did you behave for Linda while I was away?"

Bendy nodded and his smile grew as he looked up at his Creator. He held up his arms to try and get Henry to lift him up as a sound that wasn't a whistle or any of his usual noises suddenly came from his mouth. Bendy's hands immediately clamped over his mouth in surprise, while Henry looked down at the toon in shock and disbelief.

"Did… did you just..?" Henry tried to ask, still reeling from what he might have just heard. Bendy just nervously lowered his hands as he looked up at his Creator. Taking a deep breath, Bendy tried to make that sound again.

"H-Henry…"

There was no mistaking the sound that came out of Bendy's mouth this time. Bendy was shocked that he was able to say an actual word, but his shock soon turned into glee and his signature toothy grin appeared on his face.

"Henry!" Bendy said with more confidence, though the word still felt foreign on Bendy's tongue. "Henry!"

"That's right my little Ink Demon," Henry cheered, picking Bendy up in joy. "That's my name!"

"Henry!" Bendy shouted joyfully again in celebration while Henry laughed. Their commotion finally started drawing attention from the other residents in the house and Linda came out to see what was going.

"Is everything alright?" Linda asked as she looked at the two in confusion.

"Everything's fantastic!" Henry exclaimed while Bendy beamed at her from Henry's arms. "Bendy said his first word!"

"Henry!" Bendy immediately chirped in, getting a stunned look from Linda.

"Oh Bendy… I'm so proud of you…" Linda said, her eyes filling up tears as she rubbed the toon's horns. Bendy leaned into the touch and let out a purr. "Can you say anything else?"

Bendy's purring stopped as he looked at Linda in consecration. "L…Li…(whistle)…"

"It's alright if you can't say anything else yet," Henry assured when he saw the toon droop under his failure. "It takes time to learn to speak. But now that we know you do have the ability to talk, I'll be sure to help you learn. Do you like that idea?"

Bendy nodded eagerly and let out a whistle in agreement. "Henry!"

"Well this calls for a celebration," Linda declared, clasping her hands together and heading towards the kitchen. "I'm going to make you your favorite dinner Bendy and have a special cake just for you!"

Bendy whistled and purred in anticipation before snuggling up to Henry. He couldn't wait to learn to talk so he could finally communicate easily with his Creator. He had so much he had wanted to say that he could never truly express before. Now… it'd only be a little longer before he could….

"Henry…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As if Bendy's first word could have been anything else...


	3. Mourning What's Lost

Norman stood in front of the bathroom mirror carefully leaning dirt and ink from his projector lens. As he did so, he had no choice but to see his inhuman reflection staring back at him, filling his heart with grief. Henry had been working hard to help everyone as much as he could, but there had been little Henry could do to help Norman. Not only was his head was literally a projector, but machinery and wires were also connected to and running through practically every part of his body. While Henry was able to restore Norman's ability to speak and helped stabilized him mentally, Henry didn't want to risk messing with anything else in case he ended up hurting Norman rather than helping. Norman couldn't help but wonder if he was human at all anymore or just a mess of wires and ink.

Norman turned away from the mirror, resisting the urge to destroy it in anger. All of this is Drew's fault! That crazy son of a… if he hadn't decided to mess with things that he shouldn't… if he hadn't messed with the demons and rituals of all things! If that psycho had an ounce of human decency… then Norma wouldn't be trapped in the body of a monster. Just because Norman had figured out what that slim ball had been up to, Drew had to silence him. Sacrifice him to the machine and force him into a life of mindless violence.

Norman stalked out of the bathroom and went downstairs, trying his best to push away all those depressing thoughts. As he looked over the other studio escapees, Norman couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for all that Henry's accomplished. Sure, they all still had their issues but as he watched Boris and Bendy try and convince Alice to sing along with Sammy's piano playing, Norman can't help but be stunned by how far they had all come.

Norman's gaze moved on only to pause at seeing a picture of Henry with his family hanging on the wall. Norman touched it gently, thinking back to his own family. Norman's light dimmed as his heart filled with sorrow, aching for his wife and children. His children would be all grown up by now, probably with families of their own. Did they even remember him? Did his wife move on and get remarried? Was his wife even alive?

"Are you alright their Norman?" Henry's asked, placing his hand on Norman's shoulder. Norman instinctively let out a screech at the sudden contact and turned to attack Henry, but managed to stop himself in time.

"Sorry about that Henry… " Norman apologized, glancing away in shame.

"Hey… it's no problem…" Henry assured, moving more slowly this time as he reached out to Norman. "Now why don't you tell me what's on your mind?"

"Just… thinking about my family…" Norman replied, looking over at the picture again. "Wondering what's happened to them after all this time…"

"Oh…" Henry murmured quietly before coming up with an idea. "You know… I could try and find out what happened to them. I could even get in contact with them if you want…"

"I…" Norman began slowly, thinking it over. He longed to see his family again, to hold them in his arms, to finally be back with them again. But as he could see his light reflecting off the glass frame… How could he come back into the lives of his family when he was barely an echo of the man he used to be. He would probably just be dragging up a lot of old hurt and sorrow for them by suddenly returning into their new lives. He'd just be a constant source of pain and reminder of everything they had lost and could never truly have back.

"I can't…" Norman sighed sadly, turning away from the picture. "Time much time has passed… and I'm too… different… They've moved on with their lives and it's just better that it stays that way. It's better than they remember the man I once was… rather than the... Creature… that I've become…"

"Norman… are you sure?" Henry asked uncertainly, sighing when Norman nodded. "Alright… I'll respect your choice. But if you ever change your mind… just let me know…"

Norman nodded again and slinked off to a quiet corner. He really just wanted to be alone with his memories right now. He didn't get to wallow very long before Bendy came walking up.

"What do you want little guy?" Norman asked looking at the little Ink Demon. It was a lot easier for Norman to be around him when Bendy was in toon form as his instincts didn't recognize him as an enemy as it did for Bendy's Ink Demon form.

"Nor… (Whistle)… " Bendy smiled, holding out a piece of paper to Norman. The toon was still learning how to talk, but he was making a lot of progress. "…for you…"

"… thanks…" Norman said taking the paper. Bendy smiled again before scampering back over to Boris. Norman watched the toon for a moment before looking down at the paper. Bendy had drawn a picture of Norman as the Projectionist with Bendy riding on his shoulders. This incident had only happened a few days ago and the toon had been laughing and giggling the whole time Norman had been carrying him around. Norman chuckled softly and held the picture close.

While Norman still missed his old family, he was really starting to care about his new one…


	4. Thunder Shocked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one-shot takes place before the others in this series.

It was a blissfully peaceful night in the Stein household as those within were all sleeping and no nightmares had yet to fall upon them. It was only a few days since Henry and the others had escaped the studio and things had not been easy. Nightmares and flashbacks ran rampant among them all. Tensions were running high and several fights had broken out between the ink creatures. But other than a few broken objects (and one broken table from a particularly bad fight) and some ink stains, there wasn't any permeant damage or injuries. Henry was doing his best to smooth over the conflicts when they arose, but he also had his own issues to deal with as well as starting to help fix everyone. Alice had insisted she be the first one and no else felt up to fighting her for it.

Bendy was still stuck in his Ink Demon form though working on getting his toon form. He hadn't shown Henry his progress yet as he wanted to surprise his creator, but he might end up having to go to Henry for help as he was having trouble on his own. As such he barely fit in Henry's chair that he was currently curled up in. Linda and Henry were planning to get more beds and rearrange the rooms to fit everyone better, but with everything else they were dealing with it wasn't a priority. Bendy and the others didn't really mind as Henry's home was far more comfortable than anything in the Studio.

Bendy forcefully awoke from his sleep by a loud boom. He immediately jumped to his feet, claws at the ready, and letting out a hiss as he stood ready to face the threat. His inky shadows also spread out from him, though he made sure that they were only for show as he didn't want to accidentally hurt someone other than the threat. Bendy's horns quivered slightly as he scanned the room, but he saw no sign of the noise. He knew it wasn't just something from a nightmare of his as the others in the living room had reacted as well.

The Butcher Gang had fallen to the floor and were trying to both untangle themselves from each other and fight the threat. Charley was even swinging his arm as if he still had his pipe. Boris was hiding curled up in a corner, covering his head. But still, there was no sign of what had caused that loud noise.

Bendy was just about to let his guard down when another boom rumbled through the house as long as a bright flash. Bendy was reminded painfully of the flash that would burn his ink away at the end of the loop and immediately let out a loud growl, slashing the wall near the window in anger. The others also began letting out noises in panic and fear, creating quite a racket in the living room. The Ink Demon ignored them all, searching for the source of the noise intent on showing them who the true threat was.

"What's going on?" came Henry's voice as descended the stairs. Boris immediately bolted to his Creator and did his best to hide behind him. Bendy only glanced at Henry to makes sure the man was alright before returning to his search. Another boom went through the house, once more causing shrieks and growls to fill the room. Henry looked on in surprise for a moment before he started to laugh. His reaction surprised the toons and they all quieted down to look at him.

"Guys, there's nothing to be afraid of," Henry assured with a smile as his laughter subsided. "It's just a storm is all. Here… let me show you."

Henry went towards the window, the frightened toons clinging onto him as he walked. Bendy stepped protectively close to Henry, ready to take down whatever Henry was trying to show them if it proved to be dangerous. Henry pulled back to the curtain and the toons all peered outside. They could see the rain coming down hard and fast. Even though they had never seen it in person, they could recognize it for what it was. The toons watched it in wonder when a streak of light raced across the sky followed by the loud boom. The Butcher gang and Boris yelped and cowered behind Henry while Bendy let out a hiss.

"The light you just saw is lighting," Henry explained calmly, patting the various toons in comfort. "And the loud sound that follows is called thunder. They happen quite often in storms and there is nothing to be afraid of. I promise."

Under Henry's encouraging words the toons slowly gained confidence and returned to the window. They still flinched occasionally when the lighting would flash, but their fear slowly melted away leaving only amazement. There was so much to learn and discover in the outside world, they couldn't wait to experience them all!

Henry let the toons watch for a few moments longer before encouraging everyone to go back to bed. Now that the fear had passed, the toons realized just how tired they all were and willingly returned to their places. Henry gave everyone one last comforting pat once everyone had settled in before heading upstairs himself. As Bendy and the others drifted off, they could help but wonder what new and exciting discoveries waited for them…


	5. Two Minds Aren't Always Better

For as long as Alice could remember, she had never been alone in her head. Even when she was first born from the ink, there was another already within. The other, whom Alice learned very quickly was called Susie, was much stronger than Alice as she had existed long before Alice was even born. While Alice was still gathering her consciousness, Susie had already started going about the studio. For the longest time, Alice was only a passenger in the body that was supposed to be hers. She just existed in the darkness in the back of her mind with only a few flashes of what her body was experiencing, but as time passed she grew stronger.

When Alice grew strong enough that she could tell what Susie was doing pretty much all the time, Susie became aware of her existence. Susie immediately lashed out against her, determined to rip Alice's conscience to shreds. But Alice would not just let herself be destroyed, so she fought back. Susie was surprised by Alice's strength and Alice was able to briefly overwhelm her.

Alice blinked and stumbled to the floor as she took control of her body for the first time since she was born in this world. She gazed at everything in wonder and marveled at the feeling of the wood under her hand. As her gaze went from her hand down to her body, Alice couldn't help but frown in confusion, she did not look right. Her proportions were wrong and where were her white gloves. She didn't have long to think about it as she could feel Susie trying to rip back control.

Alice staggered to her feet and began making her way down the hall as best she could. She had to find someone who could help her. Someone that could free her from Susie's grasp. As she passed by one of the many Ink puddles that seemed to fill this place, a creature emerged and began crawling towards her. Alice screamed and ran away, barely dodging as more creatures erupted from the ink. Alice ran until she could longer hear the groans of those creatures, finally slowing down to catch her breath. It was only then that she realized that the hall she found herself in seemed to be filled with inky shadows.

She tensed as she heard something coming from behind her and fearfully turned around. Her fear melted into relief as she saw who was behind her. Sure, he didn't look like he should, but Alice would recognize that grin anywhere. Bendy tilted his head as he studied Alice. Probably as confused by her strange form as she was of his. While Alice and Bendy didn't always see eye to eye, she knew she could always rely on him for help. She was about to call out to him when Susie took over and forced her back into the darkness.

It took Alice a moment to reorient herself. She knew Susie was talking to Bendy, but she wasn't fully aware until Bendy attacked. The next few moments passed through fear and pain, but they escaped. After that though, Alice and Susie were always fighting for control. Susie was usually dominant, though there would be moments when Alice would be able to take the reins. As they fought, each of them got damaged and unstable, but they never stopped.

The only thing they could agree on was that they had to escape from this place.

Then someone came… Henry… Creator… he somehow managed to tame the Ink Demon, to bring out the real Bendy. Even as Susie taunted them and forced them to do tasks, Alice could only feel a growing hope. When he offered to have them come with him, Alice immediately did all she could to say yes. While Susie did keep her at bay, she did reluctantly agree to try to leave. And by some miracle, Henry, the Creator, was able to get them all out.

Within Henry's home, Alice and the others began the long road to recovery. With Henry's help, Alice and Susie were no longer divided into two minds. Instead, Susie finally relinquished control, and her conscience was absorbed into Alice's. Alice felt so relieved to finally be stable and alone in her head, but unfortunately, the process left her with clear memories of everything that Susie had done to the others.

Alice felt so guilty about what she had done, especially how she had torn into Boris again and again. She knew what had happened was unforgivable and that she should apologize to them all, but Susie's pride didn't let her. So instead, she acted aloof, keeping her distance from the others. She would just shake her head at their antics and roll her eyes wherever they got fascinated by the littlest things. If she never got close to them, she wouldn't hurt them again. (Deep inside though, Alice was afraid that the others wouldn't want to be friends with her after all she had done.)

But despite how she acted, Bendy and Boris kept trying to include her, to have her join them in their games and bonding moments. No matter how much she tried to resist, they somehow always managed to draw her in. Before long, Alice felt her smiles come more naturally and far more genuine they had been in a long time. She started actually talking to the others, instead of just having polite conversations. She would gladly join in whatever Bendy and Boris decided to do and even came up with suggestions of her own.

She knew of course that she had a lot to make to the others. And she still had a lot of personal issues she needed to deal with. But this mismatched family had somehow wormed its way into her heart and they were all helping each other heal and recover. She truly cared for them and she would do all she could to keep them safe and happy.


	6. Hissy Fit

Bendy skipped happily into the backyard, smiling at seeing the beautiful day. Since the children were at school and most adults were at work, Bendy and the others were going to use this time to enjoy being outside. As long as they weren't too loud, they could have fun without the fear of being noticed. Bendy bounced on his toes while he waited for the others to come out when a noise coming from the side of the house caught his attention. It sounded like something was moving around. Bendy crept forward, his form growing into his Ink Demon body as he stuck his head around the corner to access if the source noise was a threat.

His horns wiggled slightly as the noise came again and Bendy pointed the source to being something behind the trashcans. Bendy stalked forward, forcefully moving the trashcans and letting out a warning growl to whatever had come into his territory without his permission. But instead of the creature, which Bendy could now identify as a cat, well more like a kitten, running away in fear it just stared at him and puffed out its fur. Bendy cooked his head to the side in curiosity before crouching closer to the kitten. He hissed right in its face, but it just hissed back and puffed out its fur even more.

Bendy was confused and intrigued that something so small and fragile would think it could stand against him. He studied the kitten, it's fur was as black as ink, had yellow eyes, and one of it was damaged, making it shorter than the other. If it wasn't for the fact that Bendy could tell that there wasn't even a speck of ink on the kitten, Bendy would swear it was a creature from the studio. But that still didn't explain why it wasn't terrified of him, everything feared him when he was the Ink Demon.

Bendy glanced down to confirm that he was still in fact in his Ink Demon form when he felt the kitten suddenly jump onto his head. Bendy froze for a second before slowly lifting his head up, wondering what he should do in this situation. The kitten kept its balanced and even curled up between his horns, letting out a soft purr. Bendy's permeant grin felt more genuine as he gave a soft purr of his own.

Very carefully, Bendy reached up and lifted the kitten from between his horns, cradling it gently as he shrunk down into his toon form. As he looked fondly at the kitten curled up in his hands and was reminded of those large thick ink blots that could be used to make things.

"Ink Blot," Bendy decided, smiling at the kitten. "I'll call you Ink Blot."

The kitten purred its approval before jumping back onto Bendy's head and once more settling down between his horns. Bendy headed back towards the house. He couldn't wait to show the others his new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a really adorable idea that popped into my head and wouldn't go away.


	7. Joy of Creating

Bendy managed to sneak away without the others noticing and finding a quiet corner where he wouldn't be bothered for a while. Letting out a small pained whine, Bendy allowed his body to transform into his Ink Demon form. His inky shadows spread out as he sunk down into a corner, making sure his shadows remained isolated to this room. He pulled his legs close and buried his face into his knees, doing his best not to cry while Ink Blot rubbed herself against his horns in a comforting manner.

He knew from experience that suddenly turning into his Ink Demon would startle and scare the others, sometimes even triggering a panic attack. Combine that with his shadows and even Henry would be filled with fear, something which Bendy absolutely hated. He loathed his Ink Demon form. It only held bad memories for himself and everyone else. Everyone was so much more comfortable around him in his toon form and it made it easier for them to overlook the things he had been forced to do in the studio. The problem was that Bendy could not maintain his toon form forever.

He didn't know if it was because his Ink Demon form was his original form when he was first summoned or if become the power he gained couldn't be contained to such a small vessel, but Bendy had to return to his Ink Demon form every now and then. He tried to avoid it and to force himself to remain in toon form, but that only lead to causing himself pain until he was forcibly returned to his Ink Demon form in order to make the pain stop.

Bendy let out a sniffling sigh as he finally calmed down enough to lift his head. The room was still filled with his inky shadows, making it dark and damp. Like his current form, those shadows only brought bad memories of fear and death. He held out one hand and caught a blob of ink that was dripping down. He could feel it, he could feel all the ink in the room and throughout the house, including those that made up the others. He was called the Ink Demon for a reason, he was connected to all ink and could even control it to an extent, but that was usually only to break it down into puddles. Henry could make wonderful things with ink, from beautiful drawings to creating objects in the studio and even repairing and healing all of them. Henry was called the Creator for a reason while Bendy could only destroy.

Bendy tossed the ink up and down slightly in his hand, reminding himself of the balls he had seen the kids playing with from the window. As soon as he thought that, the ink solidified and became perfectly round. Bendy stopped his movement, bringing his hand closer. He seemed to have turned the ink into a ball, like those mini ink machines that were in the lower levels. He tilted his head slightly in confusion. He had never been able to make anything with his ink before.

Ink Blot jumped off his head to pounce on the ball in his hand. She batted it to the floor and proceed to chase after it. Bendy's grin felt less strained as he watched the kitten's antics. Excited by this new possibility, Bendy summoned another blob of ink. Looking at carefully, he imagined one of the Bendy plushies like those he had seen and loved in the studio. The Ink began shifting in response to his mental command, growing and forming into a perfect replica of a plushie. Thrilled by this discovery, Bendy summoned more and more ink to make all sorts of objects, making everything from ordinary objects like mugs and plates to complicated sculptures of flowers and birds. He couldn't make anything living, just figurines, and sculptures and he had to really concentrate to get the details right, but Bendy was so proud of everything he could create.

Now able to shrink back down to toon form, Bendy melted all the objects, except for his best flower, and reabsorbed the ink. Ink Blot meowed in protest at losing her toy but soon climbed back up onto Bendy's head. Bendy eagerly bolted out the door in search of Henry, holding out the flower once he found his creator.

"That's a very pretty flower," Henry complimented once he took it from Bendy. "Where did you find it?"

"I made it!" Bendy exclaimed happily, summoning more ink and turning it into another flower to show Henry. Henry looked stunned before breaking out into a huge smile.

"Well isn't that something," Henry said in wonder as he took the second flower. "You've really are full of amazing surprises. Come on, let's show the others your new talent. I'm sure they'll love it as much as I do."

Bendy nodded and skipped happily next to Henry. Now he wasn't just a demon that destroyed things. Now he was someone that could create wonderful things, just like Henry.


	8. Music Soothes the Soul

From what Sammy could remember, music had always been a huge part of his life. His mother had loved to sing and had encouraged his interest, having him learn several instruments, all of which Sammy excelled at. Sammy was always tapping out a melody that only he could hear and working to bring his music to life. Working at Joey Drew Studios was a dream come true. It was challenging to make all the different types of music for the show and the melodies he was creating was being seen by a large audience that was growing by the day. Sure he was frustrated sometimes and a bit of perfectionist, but Sammy was where he belonged.

But then the Cre- Henry left and at first things weren't too bad at first. Joey was little angrier and more demanding, but it wasn't anything they couldn't handle. But then Joey started getting ideas, with no one to restrain him or to steer him in what was best for the company. He started working on large ambitious projects, hiring more people but cutting pay. Demanding more and more from those within all the while feeding everyone sickly sweet words full of false hope and promises. It took all of Sammy's will power not to snap under the ridiculous pressure and stress.

Sammy wasn't exactly sure what happened next, even with all the memories he's recovered there were still many holes, but the next thing he clearly remembers was pulling himself out of the ink. His body was deformed and his mind was in shambles, whispers from the ink following him everywhere he went. During this time he found two sources of comfort, worshiping his Lord and playing the music he always heard and felt. But as the years dragged on and wore at his mind and soul, the melodies began to fade away. Whatever little creativity he had managed to hold onto died out and even the old songs were beginning to fade away. Soon all he was left with was his worship of the Lord.

But then the Cre- then Henry returned. Though Sammy did not recognize him at first, Henry had somehow managed to get his Lord on his side. They had spared him and taken him through the depths of the studio, finally freeing him and the others. Now that he was out, his mind and body had been partially restored. The music began to flow around him once again, first the old songs and then finally some new melodies. His nimble fingers danced over the keys of the Stein's piano most days, calming him and reminding him that he was finally out.

Of course, his constant playing in the main room meant that the others often wandered in. Sammy didn't have a problem with most of them, as he either had influence over them in the studio or didn't have much contact with. They would enjoy his music and they would have some light conversations. Sammy always enjoyed Boris's company as the toon wolf would often accompany him in his music, usually on a banjo or a clarinet. The only ones the Sammy had trouble with was Alice and of course Bendy.

Bendy and Sammy avoided each other at first. Bendy was uncomfortable whenever Sammy would worship him and Sammy was disgusted once he was alone and realized how he had been acting. But as they both recovered, they were able to be in the same room for expanded periods of time, though they still were a little jumpy around each other and ignored each other. But slowly, they started to relax and spend some tentative time together. During Sammy's play sessions, Bendy would listen and even started to dance along, soon joined by Boris and eventually Alice. After that, It got easier for Sammy to look past the Demon Lord he once worshiped to see the childlike toon Bendy truly was. They still had a lot to work through of course, especially when either one of them suffered from flashbacks or relapses, but Sammy was really starting to care about the little Ink Demon along with the others.

Now Alice… Alice and Sammy had a strange relationship. Sammy hated her at first, as she opposed his Lord and brutally murdered some of his followers. But as they recovered, him towards his old human self and her towards her new toon identity, they came to an understanding. They both knew what it was like to be stuck between worlds for so long and their shared past made it easier to talk to each other.

"Do you think it'll ever get any easier?" Alice asked quietly. She and Sammy were alone at the moment, sitting on the piano bench. Alice was experiencing Susie's memories strongly today so she had sought Sammy out. "Knowing who we once were, but never able to go back to it? Not that I really want to but…"

"It already has been getting easier," Sammy assured, gently squeezing Alice's hand. "Because we have friends and people that understand and are helping us. And besides, it's human nature to always be changing. It's not something to afraid of."

"I suppose. Even though Susie was… is… a part of me, there's a lot about humans I'm still trying to understand. I just don't know what to do."

"Hey… it's alright, most humans don't even understand each other. All we can do is be kind and patient to others and ourselves. In the meantime, just try and find joy in the here and now. Here…" Sammy turned around and started playing a soft melody. "Why don't you sing with me, Alice?"

"W-what?" Alice said in surprised, looking unsure. "B-but I…"

"If there's one thing I know about both you as a human and a toon, is that you love to sing," Sammy encouraged with a soft smile. "Come on… I know it'll make you feel better. Sing…"

Alice still looked nervous, but eventually began to hum along before actually singing. A smile grew on her face as she started to lose herself in the music and her voice became louder and more confident. The music began to swell and fill the whole house, bringing a peaceful smile to all the residents within and bringing them to the source. Bendy and Boris were the first to arrive, Boris immediately beginning accompaniment on his clarinet while Bendy began to dance along. Bendy pulled Henry and Linda to join in dancing to the music, and they managed to pull Allison and Tom in as well. The others watched on happily, tapping their feet and swaying to the music. When the song ended, they immediately started another one, a slight bouncer song and laughter filled the air. This went on for a while until everyone tired out and Sammy and Alice brought the music to an end.

As Sammy looked over the peaceful and content smiles on everyone's faces, he was reminded of just how much he loved making music. Music had a way of bringing people together and soothing the soul, even ones as damaged as those in this room. As long as he could keep making people happy with his music, Sammy would be fine. And with the smiles he was bringing to the others, he'd be able to make sure they were alright too.


	9. Looping Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for a long angsty chapter filled with personal theories and headcanons with just a dash of fluff.

Nightmares were, unfortunately, a regular occurrence for those now living in the Stein household. After everything they had been through in the studio, it was to be completely expected. Barely a night went by when someone didn't wake up screaming or whimpering in fright as memories of their torture would resurface. Everyone had their own ways of calming themselves down after nightmares.

The butcher gang would often touch or examine their scars, reminding themselves that they were healing. Allison and Tom would comfort each other, knowing they still had each other's backs. Norman would talk quietly to himself, taking comfort that he could finally voice his thoughts and feelings. Sammy would listen to the radio, happy to hear anything that wasn't from the studio. Boris would have to mess with his hands, either shuffling a deck of cards or tinkering with something broken. Alice would stare at the mirror and run her hands over her restored face, remembering that she's whole and in control of her own body now. Henry would, of course, cling to Linda, feeling that she was real and that he was with her.

Bendy would usually find Henry, often curling up in bed with him and just taking comfort that his Creator truly cared for him. But on the worst nights, the ones that would force Bendy into his Ink Demon form for hours until he could calm down, Bendy would spend that time alone without the others knowing what he was going through. The last thing any of the others needed was to be woken up in the middle of the night to see the Ink Demon standing over them, Henry especially. So Bendy would pace quietly downstairs, letting his shadows out to help him burn off his excess energy before he would finally wear himself out enough that he could go back to sleep.

The memories were hard to live through at night, but they were copping. Then the dreams were starting to change… At first, they were just dismissed as the twists of the subconscious like with normal dreams. But they were too vivid… too… real… to just be dreams.

Norman was having flashes of being killed, usually by the Ink Demon ripping his head off. Other times it was Henry shooting him down with a Tommy gun. In a few rare instances it was Tom and Boris working together to take him down. Sammy was also getting killed in his dreams, first by the Ink Demon's hand then later during a fight with Henry. But he would also have some strangely serene moments in his dreams, such as fishing with the Ink Demon or playing with Boris in the Music Department.

Boris was having nightmares of being ripped open by Alice so she could take his heart. Now that in itself, wasn't unusual as he knows he had been killed by her many times. What was unusual was that Alice would then turn him into a monster that would fight Henry. Randomly he would also fight and crush Sammy or he'd be fighting and then be killed by Beast Bendy. Allison and Tom had dreams of holding Henry hostage for days, taking a long time to trust him.

Alice was reliving being killed by Allison over and over again. Taunting Henry knowing that he could never save Boris because it was already too late. She also had dreams where she had overthrown the Ink Demon. She had become the new predator of the studio, taking the throne for herself. She even had her own monstrous form.

These dreams didn't seem like just dreams, but how could they be anything else? They knew what had happened in the studio, how Henry was able to get them all out. So why were they remembering the same events going so differently sometimes? While they didn't usually share the details of their dreams and nightmares with each other, they did discuss these strange almost memory-like dreams, trying to figure out why events that never happened seemed so real.

When Henry and Bendy heard about what the others were experiencing, they both got strange looks on their faces. The others watched in confusion as Bendy and Henry seemed to have a silent conversation before coming to some sort of agreement.

"We have things we need to tell you and talk about," Henry said seriously, looking at everyone. "It's going to take a while and it will be a lot to process, so let's get comfortable."

The others agreed and they went to the living room. Henry sat on the couch with Linda next to him, holding his hand in silent support. Bendy sat on Henry's lap, curling into Henry's chest while he held Ink Blot in his arms. The others pulled in chairs from around the room and the nearby rooms so they formed a circle around the couch. They sat silently while Henry seemed to be composing himself for what he was about to tell them.

"I know from your perspective, when I came into the studio I was able to convince Bendy to join me and managed to get everyone out in a matter of days," Henry began softly, looking at everyone seriously. "But the truth is I was actually trapped in the studio for several years. Joey had managed to make a… time loop of sorts. A story that Joey had scripted and had control over. One that repeated constantly which I tried to break many times but always failed to."

"That's how you knew Tom's name when we first met…" Allison said in realization. "And that we had barges further down in the studio… You met us and saw it all before… But how come we don't remember any of that but you do?"

"I'm not sure…" Henry sighed. "I didn't really remember the loops myself at first and I would still forget sometimes when it restarted, so I don't even know exactly how long I was trapped. But it started slowly, a constant feeling of déjà vu… things that should have scared me didn't… and then I started getting flashes of things that had happened before… then it would just all fall into place… Allison, those hidden messages you found were written by me in previous loops. Trying to warn myself or as a way to express my thoughts as I was forced to go through it again and again without ever being able to change anything. For the longest time, I thought I was the only one that had remembered the loops until Bendy broke his routine during our final confrontation. It was after that we worked together to finally be able to break the loop."

"Bendy… How long did it take you to figure out what was happening?" Linda asked in concern. Henry had told Linda about the loops, but she didn't know about the details and Bendy hadn't mentioned them at all yet. Henry blinked and looked down at his little ink demon. He had never thought to ask that question himself and he felt guilty for not doing so. He tried to help everyone as best as he could, but he knew Bendy still kept a lot to himself.

"It was… a bit different… for me…" Bendy said, struggling to keep his emotions in check so he could talk. His horns drooping and his ink beginning to drip. "The Liar… blamed me for a lot of his failings... Because I was the only Bendy he was able to create and I wasn't anywhere near perfect. Even though I was young and never even got close to hurting someone, even by accident, the Liar had me locked up and chained… He considered me an abomination… a mindless monster… so that's what he forced me to become once he asserted his control over the studio. Even though there wasn't a real story or script to follow… I was still forced into the role of the villain… I… I couldn't fight it at first… just lost in uncontrollable instincts and bloodlust that had been forced upon me and overwhelmed me…"

"It's alright Bendy…" Henry comforted, rubbing the little demon between his horns. "You don't have to continue if you don't want to…"

"It's okay…" Bendy sniffed, wiping a tear away while Ink Blot rubbed against him purring. "You've always said it's better to talk about these things… rather than keep them bottled up… might as well start now… at least a little… I don't know how long I was on the hunting rampage… but I was eventually able to get control over myself somewhat… I would hide out away in sanctuaries, trying to avoid hurting anyone again until the bloodlust forced me to go out and hunt again… I was actually more in control when you first came to the studio Henry… and since the Liar hadn't completed his newest script yet and the changes and hadn't fully set in… I was able to seek you out after initially scaring you away from the Ink Machine and even managed to convince you that I wasn't going to hurt you…"

"I don't remember that…" Henry said in surprise.

"I didn't expect you to…" Bendy assured softly, clinging to Henry's shirt and listening to his heartbeat. "The longer you were there and the farther down we went… the harder it became for me to stay in control and the more you started falling in line with what Joey wanted you to do… eventually… well… the loop was reset… and the pain I felt from being killed kicked my instincts into overdrive and I was lost in them…driven by fear…anger… and the need to survive… It took me a long time to get back in control after that… and for a while… it seemed like we were opposites. You would be forgetting the loops and following the script during the times I was in control and vice versa. I actually gave up on ever being anything other than the villain for a long time before I finally broke down…"

"Oh Bendy…" Henry whispered, holding the toon close as Bendy finally broke down sobbing. Linda hugging both Henry and her little Ink Demon. "You're safe now… you'll never be a villain again and you were never one. You were just another victim of Joey's like the rest of us. You're free now…"

Everyone came forward to help comfort Bendy, though they made sure not to overwhelm him. Soon he calmed down and everyone returned to their seats.

"So the dreams we've been experiencing…" Sammy began once everyone had settled back down. "They're memories from the different loops?"

"Yeah…" Henry confirmed. "I didn't think you were ever going to remember them… I guess I was wrong and I'm sorry for not telling you about them sooner."

"It's alright," Alice assured with a small smile. "You were probably just trying to spare the pain of knowing we went through even more suffering than we thought. But we'll be able to deal with it like we always have, by helping each."

"Of course," Henry agreed, returning her smile. "We're in this together after all."

"Always," Bendy confirmed, finally smiling again. They were more than just a group of survivors now. They were a family. And family always looks out for each other.


	10. Dare Devils

The Stein House was slowly becoming a local legend, especially among the younger generation. There hadn't been anything weird at first. A middle-aged couple lived there alone after their kids had grown up and moved out. They were very kind people, the wife, Linda, made great cookies that she often gave to the neighborhood children. The Husband, Henry, was a creative man that would often tell stories and draw characters from the old Bendy cartoon for which he used to be an animator for. Yep, nothing out of the ordinary… until Henry disappeared.

The quiet neighborhood was shaken up as police went from door to door, seeking information on where he could have gone. But nothing came up and the searches lead only to dead ends. Soon, the police gave up though Linda never lost hope. But in the wake of the investigation, rumors began circulating as to where Henry went or what happened to him. Most believed he died someway, usually in an accident of some sort. Others theorized that Henry had run away with a younger woman, some that Linda killed him, but those never really stuck. Anyone that knew Linda and Henry could easily have seen how much they loved each other. But as weeks then months passed with no sign of him and even Linda was starting to lose hope that Henry was still alive.

And then Henry returned.

It was so sudden with no real explanation of where he had been all this time. Anytime anyone asked him, he just said he had gotten stuck somewhere with no way of contacting anyone. Everyone was dying to know more, but the dark look that came over Henry's eyes whenever he thought back about what he'd been through, was enough to convince most of them to drop the subject. But not for the kids… they knew something more was going on.

It wasn't obvious at first, but there were more inhabitants than just the Stein's in their household now. Multiple silhouettes had been seen passing the windows, but none of them seemed to be the size or shape of the Steins. Strange noises could be heard coming from the house, even when Henry was out on errands and Linda was weeding the flowerbed in the front yard. Some of the teenagers also mentioned seeing a strange light moving through the house every now and then at night.

The adults just dismissed the rumors and observations as the Stein's kids coming over for visits. Their father had just returned from missing for months after all. But the kids continued to whisper stories, trying to figure out what was happening in the Stein house. Some said that Henry had killed people during his missing time and that their ghosts were now haunting him. Others said he had started a cult and that his followers now lived with him and they would hold rituals and sacrifices at night. The most popular theory though was Henry had sold his soul to a demon in order to escape from where ever he had been trapped and now the demon-haunted his house.

"I saw it you know…" James, a teenager, told his younger brother Kevin and his elementary school-age friends. "I saw the demon that lives there…"

"No, you didn't!" Kevin denied, trying to hide his fear while his friends huddled together. "There's no such thing as demons! You can't scare me!"

"Oh, but you should be scared…" James pressed on, making his voice spooky and dramatic. "Otherwise it might get you and take your soul. It was about a week ago… me and my friends were messing around and I had to go take a look through the window of the Stein's house. It was night and most people had gone to bed making it easier for me to sneak up unnoticed. I didn't see anything at first, but then… it came slinking in. It was big and made of the same darkness like the night. It had a large evil grin, promising instant death to anyone that crossed its path. I'm lucky I got away before it could see me… otherwise, I know it would have killed me and eaten my soul."

"S-stop m-making stuff up!" Kevin tried to sound angry and annoyed but failed miserably. "I'm not a little kid that will fall for your tricks anymore."

"Alright…" James smirked. "If you are so grown up, then prove it. I dare you and your friends to look through the window."

"B-but we can't stay out late like you," Matt reasoned, trying to get out of the dare without seeming like he was scared.

"Then don't wait until it's dark," James replied, crossing his arms as he looked down on the kids. "You could go right now if you want. It'd probably be safer this way too as demons are weaker during the day."

"Fine!" Kevin, huffed, glaring at his brother. "We'll do it."

"B-but Kevin…" Emily squeaked in fear, as she and Beth clutched each other. "What if the demon sees us!"

"No, Kevin's right," Chris scoffed, he was the only one that wasn't really scared. "Demons don't exist. We'll be fine."

The others gathered courage from Chris's confidence, getting determined looks.

"Well… go on then…" James said, gesturing to the Stein's house which was a little way down the street. The kids looked at each other nervously before getting up and heading down the street. They stuck out of sight as much as they could and soon snuck up onto the side of the house.

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Emily whispered, glancing fearfully towards the front of the house as if she was expecting someone to just come out at them.

"We'll be fine," Chris assured easily. "James is trying to scare us, but we have nothing to be afraid of."

"Yeah, he thinks it funny to scare us," Kevin agreed, becoming more calm and confident. "So let's just get this over with and prove that we aren't afraid."

The others nodded and snuck towards the front of the house under the window. Chris and Matt gave Kevin a boost so he could have a clear view inside. As soon as he was up he was greeted by a pale face and glowing eyes. Kevin yelped and flailed, falling backward onto the grass and he swore he heard whoever was at the window do the same thing.

"Was it the demon?" Emily squeaked in fear, hiding behind Beth.

"Y-yes… n-no… I-I mean I don't know…" Kevin replied fearfully, trying to calm himself. "Lift me up again, I want a better look."

"Are you crazy!?" Matt said in surprise. "You might have seen the demon and you want another look?!"

"J-just do it alright! Before I change my mind!" Kevin snapped. He didn't know why he was doing this, but even in the brief glance he had gotten, he thought he had seen something familiar somehow. He needed another look.

Matt and Chris reluctantly helped Kevin back up. Kevin looked cautiously through the window where the pale face was doing the same. It wasn't a human face, looked more like a cartoon character. In fact, it looked like…

"Bendy?" Kevin said in shock. He could hear the others gasp and whisper to each other, but his focus remained solely on the apparently living toon before him. Bendy gave a small nod in confirmation. "Can you come out so my friends can see you?"

Bendy seemed hesitant, before holding up a finger in a wait a minute gesture. He then jumped down from the window and scampered deeper into the house. Kevin had the others put him down and they immediately gathered around him, asking all sorts of questions about what he thought he had seen. They went quite a few minutes later when they heard the front door open. They stared nervously as Henry Stein came around the corner with Bendy bundled up in clothes so it wasn't obvious what he was.

"Hey kids," Henry smiled, kneeling down in front of them while Bendy hid partially behind him. "I know this is a surprise, but I need you to listen to me very carefully. You can't tell anyone what Bendy really is. I know there have been crazy rumors going around, but if the truth were ever to get out things… could get bad…"

"But we're not supposed to lie," Emily replied quietly, but she was also glancing at Bendy curiously.

"I know sweetie," Henry assured. "And I'm not asking you to lie forever. I know that eventually, people are going to find out, but I want the time to be right. So until then, do you think you can keep him a secret?"

The kids glanced at each other and then at Bendy before nodding to Henry.

"Thank you," Henry said in relief, looking back to Bendy. "Now Bendy really wants to meet and play with you, but you don't have to if you don't want to."

"It's okay," Kevin smiled, stepping closer to Bendy and holding out his hand. "Hi Bendy, I'm Kevin. It's nice to meet you."

Bendy starred at the hand for a moment, glancing at Henry to see his encouraging smile, before finally stretching out his own hand. Kevin shook it before stepping back.

"These are my friends," Kevin said, still smiling at Bendy. "The ones I wanted you to meet."

"I'm Beth," she introduced stepping forward. "I always loved Henry's stories of you so I'm happy to finally get to meet you."

As the kids introduced themselves, Bendy became more confident and smiled at them all. And after making sure it was okay with Henry, the kids left with Bendy to take him to the playground in the park nearby. The kids never thought that the rumors were going to be true. There was a demon living with the Stein's, but instead of being a threat, he turned out to be a friend. And they couldn't wait to take him on their adventures.


	11. Remembered Love

Allison didn't remember anything about herself for a very long time. When she was first pulled from the ink, she had trouble processing the world she found herself in so she barely retained anything from those days. She could only recall many others around and examining her, calling her Alice Angel and praising themselves for how "Perfect" she turned out. She knew "Alice" wasn't her name, at least not exactly, but she didn't know what else to call herself so she took the name for her own.

Her first concrete memories were of finding herself in a cage deep in the studio. She wasn't sure how long she had been trapped in there and no one ever came to check on her, but she managed to break out and escape. But she had only changed her small cage for a larger more dangerous one. For there was no escaping the nightmare of a studio she had found herself in. Danger was around every corner, but Allison had adapted, crafting herself weapons and reinforcing several safe houses.

But Allison was getting lonely fighting for herself during all this time. Everything in the studio either was mindless and would just attack her on sight or hated her for what the other "Angel" was doing. She just wanted at least one other creature that wasn't afraid of her. Some she could talk to and take comfort from in this nightmare of a life. But there was no one that she could turn to, leaving feeling more alone than ever. The only way she could express her feelings was by painting on the walls.

One time, while she was refilling her ink supply, everything changed. She was gathering ink was a flooded hallway, one that she should have been avoiding because of how deep it was. But it was the closest source of ink to her current safehouse, and as long as she avoided touching it for too long, she should be fine. As she was going about her tasks, flashes filled her mind of a different life, one that she didn't remember but wish she did. Her thoughts were flooded with moments and glimpses of spending time with someone… someone special…

As she tried to grasp a clear image of whoever this person was, her hand slipped lower than it should of and dipped down into the ink. She could immediately feel it pull at her, pulling at her thoughts and threatening to consume her. She panicked and ripped her hand out of the ink, abandoning her bucket as she scrambled backward. The ink began to bubble and she immediately got out her sword and held it ready for whatever was coming.

But instead of a searcher, a Boris pulled himself out of the ink puddle. He didn't notice Allison right away, focused on examining his own body in what seemed like confusion instead. Alice tried to sneak away but ended up accidentally kicking an empty soup can. She stiffened and held her sword at the ready as the Boris looked up at the noise, prepared to defend herself if he proved to be hostile. But the moment their eyes locked, Allison was overcome by a sense of familiarity.

"Tom?" Allison whispered, not really knowing where that name came from or why she said it. The Boris immediately nodded and almost looked like he wanted to embrace her. "So your name is Tom? It's nice to meet you."

She didn't understand why he looked so devastated.

After their meeting, Allison and Tom were inseparable. They protected each other and Tom became someone she could trust and rely on. And even though he couldn't talk, she could understand him almost as if she had known him for years…

During one of their supply runs, they nearly got cornered by the Ink Demon. They split up in order to have a better chance to escape. Allison was able to get away and to one of their safehouses, but Tom didn't show up. Allison eventually went to look for him and had to rescue him from the other "Angel". He was in terrible shape, and she barely got him to a safe house in time. She never did learn if it had been the Ink Demon or the other "Angel" that was the cause of him losing an arm.

They were a lot more careful after that and Allison was a lot more protective of Tom. But during one of their exploration excursions where they were carefully going through the other "Angel's" territory, they heard a commotion in the haunted house ride. Curious about what was going on, Allison decided to check it out despite Tom's reservations. They didn't expect the strange group they would find and were suspicious of Henry's motives. But Allison gave them a chance as Henry gave her the first real hope she had in a long time. And her hope paid off as Henry managed to get them all out and finally set them free.

No longer having to constantly worry about survival and having to fight for her life, Allison was able to spend time reflecting and trying to remember her life before the ink. It was coming along slowly, but she was making progress. She could clearly remember her name now and working as a voice actor. She got bits and pieces of her childhood, but she still couldn't quite recall who that special person had been…

"How… are you doing Alli?" Tom asked as he came into the room, his voice still scratchy from disuse after Henry restored it. Allison glanced over and as soon as she caught sight of him, images began flooding into her head. Images of going out on long walks and candle lite dinners. Memories of laughing together and sneaking off together at work. And most of all, she remembers them getting married and the love they shared.

"Tom…" Allison breathed as tears filled her eyes. She immediately got up and embraced him. "Oh, Tom… I finally remember you… I remember us…"

"Alli…" Tom replied softly, clutching her to him as tears poured down his cheeks. "I've waited so long for this moment…"

"All this time… you remembered didn't you…" Allison sobbed, burying her head in his shoulder. "You knew who I was but I had no idea… It must have been so hard…"

"It's alright… none of that matters now…" Tom assured, lifting her head up and wiping away her tears away. "I'm just happy that I could have been by your side protecting you in that place… Even if you never remembered… I would still have been with you forever… I love you, Alli…"

"I love you, Tom…" Allison smiled before they shared a passionate kiss. She was so happy to finally know who Tom really was. He was her friend and confidant, her partner as they strived to survive. He was someone that she trusted completely and was always there for her even when she didn't know who he was. He was the love of her life and she would never forget that.


	12. Skin Deep

Henry smiled as he looked up from where he was working in his drawing studio. He could hear Bendy's laughter through the window as the toon played with the neighborhood kids in their yard. He briefly wondered if Alice and Boris were joining them today. He admitted when Bendy had come to him asking if he could play with the kids in front of the window he had been apprehensive. But it seemed that his worries were unnecessary as the kids had kept Bendy a secret and playing with the kids seemed to be really helping his little Ink Demon. Bendy was smiling more often and seemed a lot more cheerful. He was learning to embrace his toon side little by little without fearing his dark traits. Bendy and the toons were literally born to entail kids, it should have been obvious that playing with kids would help them so much.

Henry was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the front door suddenly slam followed by someone running up the stairs. The footsteps seemed to get heavier and more frantic as their source went up the stairs before finally slamming another door upstairs. Henry frowned and looked up towards where the final door slam came from. From the noises, it sounded like Bendy had been transforming back into his Ink Demon state, something that happened occasionally when Bendy got really upset. Worried about his toon, Henry got up to see what was wrong. Before he could start up the stairs he heard a knock on the front door. Opening he found all the kids standing there looking worried.

"Hey kids, did something happen to Bendy?" Henry asked.

"We were just playing when he suddenly stopped," Kevin explained. "It looked like he was starting to melt and he just ran inside."

"Is he alright?" Emily asked.

"I don't know," Henry's said softly, glancing up at the stairs before looking back at the kids. Why don't you wait in the living room with Boris and Alice while I check on Bendy."

The kids agreed and filed inside. Henry made sure Alice and Boris were with them before he headed upstairs.

"Bendy?" Henry asked, knocking on the door softly. He didn't get an answer besides a distressed whine so Henry opened the door. The room was dark and filled with inky shadows and in the corner, Henry could see the large permanent grin of the Ink Demon. Suddenly Henry was back in the studio, his heart beating faster as he stared at the biggest threat there was. He was about to run when the Ink Demon started sobbing, bringing him back to the present. He was out of the studio and the Ink Demon wasn't a threat. Henry swallowed down his guilt and went over to Bendy's side.

"Hey it's alright," Henry assured softly, wrapping his arms around the Ink Demon. The Ink Demon stiffened and flinched away at first, but soon relaxed into Henry's embrace. "I'm sorry for how I reacted, but I was just startled is all. You're still just Bendy, my little toon. And I'm always going to be here for you."

The Ink Demon eventually stopped sobbing and gave Henry a nuzzle, though he did not return to his toon form like Henry was expecting.

"What's the matter, Bendy? Did the kids do something to upset?" Henrys asked but the Ink Demon just shook his head. "Then what happened? Obviously, something's bothering you for you to still be like this rather than your toon form."

 **"… (hiss)… I … can't (growl) change… back…yet…"** the Ink Demon replied, forcing the words out. **"I… have… to be… like this… for a while…"**

"You have to..?" Henry wondered, thinking over what Bendy was trying to tell him. "Does it take a lot of effort for you to be in your toon form?"

 **"Yes…"** the Ink Demon nodded. **"Being able… to create things… has helped… but I still have to… return to… this form…"**

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Henry asked, hurt a little by Bendy's lack of trust.

 **"Because of… how you reacted…"** the Ink Demon replied quietly. **"I knew… that was… what would happen… You… that look… the fear… I… I can't…"**

"It's alright… It's alright…" Henry comforted, rubbing the Ink Demon's back and feeling guilty. "I know it must hurt to see me still scared of you, but you know I don't truly mean it. I want to get better and I want to help you no matter what. I can't help you if you keep hiding what you're going through from me. Please, Bendy… you aren't a burden and you don't need to protect me… I'm here to help you through it… we all are… Remember what we said in the studio? We're in this together… no matter what."

The Ink Demon didn't respond, but he did clutch Henry closer. After staying like that for a few minutes, Henry could tell the Ink Demon was calmer.

"Now why don't you come downstairs with me," Henry finally suggested, rising to his feet. "Your friends are worried about you and you should show them you're alright."

 **"They… can't… see… me… like… this!"** the Ink Demon whined, his panic making it even harder for him to talk. **"I'll… just… scare… them..! I… don't… want… them… to… be… scared!"**

"They might be a little surprised, but they won't be scared," Henry assured, helping the Ink Demon to his feet. "And do you want to know why? Because they will know what I know. That no matter what you look like, you are still the same toon. My little Devil Darling that would never purposely hurt someone, especially a child."

The Ink Demon still whined in worry but followed after Henry. As they came to the living room entrance, the Ink Demon did his best to hide behind Henry, though he had very little success because of how big he was. The kids looked up as soon as they came in scrambling to their feet.

"Is that Bendy?"

"Is he alright?"

"What happened?"

"Is that why he ran?"

"Calm down…" Henry said, speaking over the worried children. "Bendy can't always look like the little toon you know and he was scared of how that you wouldn't like him how he looks now, which is why he ran. But I know managed to convince him there was nothing to worry about."

Henry stepped aside so the kids could fully see the Ink Demon. He was hunched over himself as if he was bracing himself for rejection.

"You look awesome!" Beth praised, coming right up to him, "You should definitely look like this on Halloween! It's the best costume ever!"

"So that's what my brother saw," Kevin smirked. "No wonder he was so scared."

"Come on Bendy," Emily grinned, easily grabbing his hand. "We were in the middle of our game."

Henry chuckled at how surprised and overwhelmed the Ink Demon seemed by the kid's acceptance as they dragged him over to join their game. It hurt Henry to know just how much rejection and hatred Bendy suffered in his life which is why Bendy had such a hard time confiding in Henry now. He probably was both worried about driving Henry away and being hurt again. But Henry never going to leave Bendy again because he truly cared for the toon. And as he watched those kids play and laugh with the Ink Demon, he knew they felt the same way.


	13. The Old Gang

The Butcher gang members were very aware that out of the victims of the studio, they could be considered some of the luckier ones. They had barely been sentient during their time in the studio, meaning that they didn't really remember what happened to them. Mostly they would get general flashes of emotions or events, but nothing clear or concrete. Still… that didn't mean that their transition to the outside world was smooth.

Not only had their minds been in the worst shape in the studio, but their bodies were a mess as well. The Creator, Henry, had to spend a lot of time repairing their forms and even then they still bore a lot of scars. And while they didn't remember exactly what happened in the studio, they still had instinctual reactions to some of the others. The strongest being fear for Alice, Norman, and Bendy. Norman was the hardest to get be around and even though they had improved a lot over the weeks, they still couldn't stand being alone in the same room with him. Alice got a little easier once she became more toon-like, though they tended to panic if they ever heard her singing.

Now they had a weird reaction to Bendy. At first, they feared him, because everyone knew to fear the Ink Demon. But once he gained his toon form, the Butcher Gang started getting the urge to prank and pull tricks on him. But their attempts at pranks usually ended in disaster as they often caused more damage than they meant to and, rather than being scared by them, Bendy hissed, growled, and one time even chased them in full on Ink Demon mode. It only got worse when Bendy go his cat as she furiously scratched them when they tried to prank Bendy again and continued to his threateningly at them whenever they got too close to her and Bendy.

The bottom line was, the Butcher Gang really had no idea what they were supposed to do. They didn't within with the more human-like ink creatures. The other toons were still learning to act like toons most of the time, so the Butcher Gang, already more ready to act like toons, didn't really fit in with them either. It just felt like they wandered around making a mess and getting in everyone's way. And it seemed like today was no different as they bumped into Linda as she was heading to the backyard.

"Sorry guys I didn't see you there," Linda said as she smiled at the three toons. "Any fun plans for today?"

They all made some vague gestures and whistles as they really didn't know what they were going to do.

"Well if you don't have any plans, why don't you come to help me with the garden?" Linda suggested. "I can always use more pairs of hands."

The Butcher Gang looked at each other and shrugged before turning to Linda and giving her hesitant nods. They followed her out into the sunshine and to the shed. Linda carefully pulled out tools for all of them and lead them to her garden. She showed them what the weeds looked like and set them to work. As they worked, Linda explained the various plants and what they were used for. The Butcher Gang paid close attention, absorbing her words, and enjoying spending time in the sun. After they finished weeding for the day, Linda rewarded them with cookies and ice cream.

After that, they started spending most of their time with Linda and helping her around the house. She continued to teach them about the outside world and just accepted them for who they were. She started doing more with them than just doing chores, such as reading to them and helping them try out various hobbies. She even tried to teach them to speak like Henry was teaching Bendy, though Charley was the only one making any real progress.

One day, after they finished Linda with another day of weeding, Bendy came by the kitchen where the Butcher Gang were relaxing. He was grabbing snacks for himself, Alice, Boris, and the neighborhood kids they were playing in the living room. When Bendy spotted the Butcher Gang, he gave them a small smile and invited them to join their games. The Butcher Gang were unsure and looked to Linda for guidance.

"Go on," Linda encouraged. "You've helped me a lot today already. Go have fun, I'm sure the kids would love to meet you."

The Butcher Gang were still hesitant, by fallowed after Bendy with Linda's persuasion. The kids were happy to meet them and easily welcomed into their game. The Butcher Gang slowly relaxed as they played and even started to joke around with the kids. For the first time since they got out, the Butcher Gang started to feel like they truly belonged.


	14. Date Night

Tom carefully adjusted his hat on his head, making sure his ears were completely covered. He didn't really understand toon logic, especially when it came to himself and the other more human ink creatures, but it came in handy sometimes. As long as he and the others made some sort of effort to disguise themselves, no one would be able to see them for what they really were. Still… it didn't stop Tom from feeling ridiculous.

"Ready Tom?" Allison asked, coming into the room. She looked stunning as always, but even more so in the blue dress, she was wearing.

"Of course my angel," Tom smiled, happily taking her hand. He was really looking forward to spending a night out with Allison. It had been so long since they had been alone together without the constant threat of the Ink Demon eventually finding them, Tom was determined to make sure this night was perfect.

"Then let's get going," Allison said with a slight giggled, hooking her arm in Tom's. They headed downstairs together, ignoring the toon's failing to hide and snickering as they went by. They were soon out the door and driving to a nearby restaurant. They couldn't help but feel a little out of place among all the people living their normal lives. Tom had to force himself not to growl at anyone who got close.

Once they were seated and ordered, they started to relax a bit. They started to reminisce the dates they used to go on before they had been trapped, recalling different details and helping each other fill in the gaps. By the time their food had arrived, they were smiling and even laughing softly. The food was delicious of course (anything that wasn't bacon soup was fantastic) and they even treated themselves to dessert. After they finished, they drove to a nearby park to go for a walk. They found an empty bench on the top of a hill and snuggled together to watch the sunset.

"The world is so beautiful," Allison whispered as she watched the sky become painted with all sorts of colors. "I can't believe I ever forgot it."

"The world will never be as beautiful as you," Tom replied lovingly, giving her a small kiss. "And it doesn't matter what happened in the past. What matters is we are free and we are together. We'll have plenty of time to make new memories together."

"I love you, Tom…"

"I love you too Alli…"

The two shared another kiss before they watched the sun dip below the horizon. Staying there long enough to watch the stars come out. Tom and Allison could not think of a more perfect night.

* * *

"Now you sure you'll be able to handle everyone?" Henry asked Allison as Linda assured the toons that they would be back before they know it.

"We'll be fine," Allison assured, expertly pulling Bendy back how had been trying to sneak out to Henry's car. "We've survived to live in a studio full of monsters for years. We can handle a house full of toons for a few hours. Besides, there are four adults here, so it's not like they severely outnumber us. You and Linda go have fun. You deserve it after everything you've done for us."

"But…" Henry began, still worried about everyone, only to have Linda to cut him off with a smile.

"They'll be fine Henry," Linda assured. "Now let's get going. We don't want to be late."

Henry agreed and returned Linda's smile. Giving all of their toons one last goodbye hug, Henry and Linda left. Henry waved at Bendy who was at the window as he pulled the car out of the driveway and they were soon on their way.

"They're going to be fine, you don't have to mother them." Linda teased lightly as she noticed that he kept glancing at the rearview mirrors.

"I know, but it's the first time both of us are leaving them alone," Henry admitted, giving Linda a sheepish smile. "What if one of them has a relapse or a flashback while we're away?"

"They've come a long way since you've brought them home." Linda reasoned, rubbing his arm comfortingly. "I'm sure if one of them does have a relapse or a flashback, I know the others will help them through it. Trust them to look out for each other."

"You're right," Henry sighed, feeling better after Linda's words. "Let's just focus on us and having fun tonight."

"That's the spirit," Linda smiled as they pulled up to their destination. It was a lively establishment with upbeat music coming from it. "You still remember how to dance well after all that time in the studio right?"

"Of course," Henry laughed, leading her out onto the dance floor. They had a lot of fun dancing together to all sorts of songs, taking breaks every now and then to eat and having something to drink. After several hours, they both called it quits and went to a nearby ice cream shop. They laughed and joked over a shared sunday, never letting go of each other's hands. When they finished, they finally left for home.

When they came through the front door, they came across an adorable sight. Everyone, toons and ink humans alike were piled in the middle of the living room fast asleep.

"What do you think happened to get them so tired out like this?" Linda laughed softly as she took in the sight.

"I think a lot happened…" Henry commented, noticing how there was some fresh paint on a few of the walls. Their lamp was also a brighter black and white than it had been, like Bendy's ink creations. "We'll find out in the morning, let's let them rest."

Linda nodded and the two quietly snuck their way upstairs, soon joining the others in dreamland.


	15. Home Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's what the others were up to while Henry and Linda were on their date.

"Have fun you two!" Allison called as Henry and Linda finally made it out the front door. Bendy immediately scrambled to the nearby window to watch them leave, waving goodbye to Henry. He stayed there for several minutes before Allison pulled him away. "Come and play with us, Bendy. Time will go a lot faster if you're busy come. It'll be fun!"

Bendy reluctantly agreed and joined the others on the floor. Before he knew it though Bendy was fully enjoying himself playing games with the others. After a few games, Alice got up to get some more snacks for everyone. No one knows what triggered it, but while Alice was in the kitchen, she suffered a relapse.

The first sign something was wrong was when Ink Blot suddenly started hissing at the kitchen, fur puffed out as far as possible. Everyone immediately stopped and stared at the kitten in worry and confusion. Ink Blot was a very vocal cat and would often hiss when someone did something she didn't like, but she rarely was this aggressive. The last few times she was like this, she usually ended up attacking whomever she was hissing at. But they never could figure out what would set her off so…

"Well… well… what do we have here?" a sickly sweet voice came from the doorway. Everyone's head snapped up to see Alice standing there, holding a very large knife in her hands. Her eyes were glowing brighter than normal and ink leaked from her left eye. A cruel smile tugged at her lips as she surveyed everyone. "So many choices… which one of you little flies wants to help me become perfect?"

A moment passed by as everyone stared frozen in shock. Then Bendy let out a growl, his form growing as he lunged at the manic angel. Alice shrieked in rage and fear but was unable to escape before the Ink Demon grabbed her and pinned her to the floor.

"Let go of me you abomination!" Alice shouted, struggling to free herself. "I refuse to let you drag me back to the puddles!"

"Keep her there Bendy!" Allison instructed, snapping out of her shock. Eyes narrowing in determination, Allison pulled her sword out of nowhere. (It was the one aspect of being a ton that Allison liked. She felt so much safer having her sword with her at all times and being able to pull it out whenever she needed it.)

"Tom!" Allison addressed her husband, though her eyes never left the mad angel. "You get the others out of here! We have to keep her isolated until she comes back to herself!"

Tom immediately complied, easily ushering the Butcher Gang out. Sammy, on the other hand, was doing his best to calm Boris and coax him out of the room. The poor wolf was shaking in fear and clutching his chest, memories and phantom pains plaguing him. The former music director eventually did manage to persuade the toon to leave, but not before Boris let out a fearful and distressed whine. Bendy looked up at the wolf in concern and worry, not noticing Alice using his distraction to free one of her hands, which just happened to be the one holding the knife. Allison noticed Alice's movements and tried to warn the Ink Demon.

"Bendy! Look out!"

The Ink Demon's head snapped back to Alice only for her knife to sink into his head, right where one of his eyes would be if it was visible. The Ink Demon reared back, howling in rage and pain as he ripped the knife out of himself. The knife left no damage (very little could actually hurt the Ink Demon), but inky shadows quickly filled the room to show just how enraged he was by the incident. Everyone still in the room couldn't help but take a step back in fear, even Alice as she managed to grab the knife and hold it close.

"Bendy?" Allison asked carefully, doing her best to sound calm. The last thing they needed was for Bendy to also suffer a relapse, especially as it would still be hours before Henry was due to return. Thankfully it seemed her fears were unfounded as the Ink Demon gave her a brief nod and the shadows lessened a bit. The Ink Demon focused on Alice again, lunging once more for her.

"Stay back you filthy Ink Demon!" Alice shrieked, swiping with her knife as she ducked under his arms. She managed to slash him, though the cut quickly healed. Her ducking out of the way though sent the Ink Demon crashing into the wall behind her, cracking it and leaving the Ink Demon slightly dazed. With the Ink Demon momentarily distracted, Alice took in those left in the room. Her eyes narrowed in anger as she gazed at Allison.

"I'm Alice Angel!" Alice shouted, lunging at Allison. Allison readies her sword and had to remind herself not to kill the toon. But before Alice even got close to the other woman, Norman lunged forward with a screech and tackled the angel. They both crashed to the floor, knocking over a nearby table and shattering the lamp that had been resting on it.

"Keep her there Norman!" Sammy said, racing back into the room after he had gotten Boris safely away. "I've got an idea of how to calm her!"

Sammy went to the piano and began to play Alice's theme song. Alice struggled and ignored the song at first, but she eventually stilled and began to hum along. Norman kept his grip firm though with Allison and the Ink Demon hovering nearby in case he needed help. When the final notes faded away, Alice blinked as if she was coming out of a daze as her form returned to normal. As she looked around a horrified look came upon her face.

"I… I… became her again… didn't I…" Alice stated sorrowfully, tears filling her eyes. "Did I… hurt anyone this time?"

"No lasting damage," Allison replied, putting her sword away while Norman helped Alice up. Bendy shrunk down back into his toon form. "Though you might want to apologize to Bendy… you did get him pretty good with the knife."

"Oh Bendy! I'm so sorry!" Alice cried, she went to hug Bendy but hesitated at the last moment. Bendy smiled and easily embraced her, making her feel better as she returned the hug.

"It's okay Alice," Bendy assured, giving her a comforting pat. "We've all been there and we help each other through it like always."

"Though we did make quite the mess," Sammy commented looking around. "We better get this cleaned up."

The others agreed and began straightening up the room while Sammy went to tell the others it was safe and get their help. The Butcher Gang swept up the glass broken glass while Tom worked on repairing the crack in the wall. Bendy sat on the floor, creating things the others needed from his ink such as new glass and frames for pictures that had been knocked from the wall, paintbrushes, and even a new lamp. By the time he finished, Bendy just fell asleep on the spot while the others finished painting over the repairs.

Once they finished, Boris yawned as he went to pick up Bendy. But instead of taking the little Ink Demon to his room, Boris ended up joining him on the floor in dreamland. Alice soon joined the wolf and the Butcher Gang followed after. Norman and Sammy attempted to take the toons upstairs but also ended up joining the growing pile.

"This is not natural," Tom murmured in disbelief as he watched everyone, watching little Z's floating from the toons. "This must be some more of that #$ $#% # toon logic."

"It's better not to fight it," Allison smiled, yawning herself. "Besides… we all deserve a rest after this eventful evening."

"Not you too…" Tom shook his head before yawning as well. Giving up, he and Allison joined the pile and soon fell asleep.


	16. Hide and Seek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for a little angst?

"Found you!" Chris laughed as he finally spotted Bendy hiding in the bushes. The Little Ink Demon laughed himself as he came out of his hiding spot and joined the rest of the kids who had already been found. Bendy, Boris, and Alice were playing hide and seek with the neighborhood kids. They were playing at the edge of the forest by the playground. It allowed the toons to play more freely without having to worry about someone seeing through their disguises but close enough that none of the kids would get lost or in trouble. Besides, the woods were just full of great hiding spots.

"Bendy's the last one," Kevin said once Bendy and Chris were close. "You know what that means."

"I'm it!" Bendy smiled, heading over to a tree to start counting. "Ready! 1… 2… 3…"

Though Bendy couldn't see anything, he easily heard the kids scatter and run into the trees to find their hiding spots. Bendy's smile widened as he continued to count. Never in all the time he had been trapped in the studio, even when he had first been created, had he even dreamed his life would turn out like this. He would never imagine he would have people that truly cared about him and friends he could play with who wasn't scared of him for what he was. It was so wonderful and there were still days when he thought this might all be just a dream and he wakes up back in the depths of the Studio. But as hard as it was sometimes to adjust to the outside world, Bendy would never do anything to give it up.

"Ready or not… Here I come!" Bendy shouted as he finished counting and began walking into the woods. He snuck quietly as he searched for the kids, looking back and forth for any sign of them. His heartbeat in excitement as he walked. He loved this game so much! The mystery of searching through the woods… the thrill of the hunt in searching for prey… the power that comes from instilling fear into the victims… the satisfaction of proving just why they should be afraid…

Bendy didn't even notice as his thoughts took a darker turn nor when his form began to grow, tearing through his clothes and leaving their shredded remains trailing behind him. The forest fell silent as ink shadows began to spread across the trees, the critters hiding within sensing a very dangerous predator had just entered their midst. The Ink Demon's horns wriggled slightly as he stalked forward in search of prey to rip to shreds. He soon heard a heartbeat nearby that belong to something much large than a squirrel or a bird, two of them in fact. He immediately went towards the closer one.

The Ink Demon could hear the heartbeat faster, though it wasn't in fear. Oh well… they would learn why they needed to be afraid soon enough. The Ink Demon came around the tree and loomed over the one that had picked such a foolish hiding spot. His prey, a small human girl, squeaked in surprise at being found.

"Bendy! You scared me," Emily gasped, smiling up at the Ink Demon. For a moment, the Ink Demon thought she seemed familiar but it was soon pushed aside. "I wasn't expecting you to be in this form. So am I the first one you found?"

The Ink Demon ignored the small girl's rambling moving so that she wouldn't be able to escape if she tried to run. It had been a while since he hunted something, so he was going to take his time with this one to fully enjoy it. His grin vibrated briefly as he had a strange feeling that this wasn't right…

"Bendy?" Emily asked nervously, her smile faltering as the Ink Demon towered over her. The Ink Demon was going to enjoy tearing his prey to shreds. Flexing his claws, the Ink Demon moved to strike as the girl's mouth opened in a silent scream. No… Stop…

"BENDY! DON'T!"

The shout surprised the Ink Demon and threw off his aim, though he still tore through a sleeve before his claws gouged the tree. For an instant, he felt great relief only for it to be drowned by his mounting fury. The Ink Demon whirled around and growled at the one who shouted. How dare that angel to challenge him! It seems he was going to have to teach her another lesson…

A whimper behind the Ink Demon reminded him he still had prey to deal with. He turned back around to finish the girl off but froze when he looked at her. Tears were streaming down her face as she clutched her shoulder, red blood staining her fingers. The Ink Demon… Bendy… stumbled backward as the realization came to him, letting out a heartbroken whine. He had been about to kill one of his friends… someone who had never hurt him and whom he cared about… all because he had lost himself to his instincts…

Bendy gripped his head as his bloodlust tried to overwhelm him again, demanding that he take the life from his prey. The Liar was right… he was nothing but a monster… He had to get out of here! Before he hurt someone else…

Bendy turned and started running deeper into the woods. He had to get as far away from everyone and everything as possible. He couldn't risk anyone being near him.

"BENDY!" Alice called, attempting to chase after him. "Come back! We'll work this out!"

But Bendy ignored her, getting farther and farther ahead as he ran. Soon he left her far behind, but he didn't stop running. He was too dangerous to be around…

Henry sighed as he crumpled up another piece of paper and tossed it into his overflowing trash can. He just couldn't concentrate as he had a growing feeling that something was wrong. He got up and headed toward the front door. Maybe he'd feel better once he checked on the toons…

Just as he was about to open it, a frantic knocking came from it. His heart skipped a beat as he wrenched the door open to find Matt and Beth holding Emily between them, Emily holding a bleeding shoulder.


	17. Lost and Found

"Kids! What happened?" Henry asked, ushering them inside and sitting them on the couch. Sammy, seeing that one of the kids was hurt, left the piano to get the first aid kit.

"It was an accident!" Emily defended desperately as Sammy returned and started to clean the wound. "Bendy didn't mean to hurt me! Please don't be mad at him!"

"Calm down… I'm not going to be mad at anyone…" Henry said with an assuring smile, doing his best to ignore the way his heart clenched. "Now please start from the beginning… What did Bendy do?"

"Well we were all playing hide and seek in the woods," Matt explained as Beth comforted Emily. "It was Bendy's turn to be it so we all ran to hide."

"Bendy found me first…" Emily said softly, sniffing slightly. "But he was in his big form and he wasn't acting right. He… he attacked me, but Alice stopped him… He looked so scared and sad when he looked back at me… I wanted to tell him I was alright… but he ran away before I could…"

"The rest of us heard Alice shouting and we could tell something was wrong," Beth continued. "So we all came running and found Alice helping Emily. She explained what happened and told us to bring Emily to you while she and Boris kept looking for Bendy."

"You did the right thing by coming here," Henry assured, doing his best to stem the flood of worry and guilt. Bendy had been doing so well… it had been almost a month since his last serious relapse and he didn't think it would happen around the kids. Bendy must have felt so devastated once he had come back to himself… Henry had to find him…

"Good news is the scratch isn't that serious," Sammy said once he'd fished bandaging, snapping Henry out of his thoughts. "It might leave a slight scar, but other than that you'll be fine. Considering my experience with Bendy… well… you were really lucky…"

"Thank you, Mr. Sammy," Emily smiled back at him before turning back to Henry. "Please don't be mad at Bendy. I know it wasn't his fault."

"I know sweetie, I just need to find to let him know it isn't" Henry replied because there was no way the devil wasn't blaming himself for what happened. Silently cursing Joey again for all the damage he caused, Henry rose to his feet. He hurried to the front door and grabbed his coat.

"Henry?" Linda asks, having just come in from the backyard with the Butcher Gang trailing behind her. "Is something wrong?"

"Bendy had a relapse and accidentally hurt Emily," Henry explained quickly as he put his coat on. "She's fine, but Bendy's run off. You stay here in case he comes back while I go look for him."

"Find him, Henry," Linda pleaded, hugging him. "Bring our son home."

"I will," Henry promised, giving her a brief kiss before heading out the door. He practically flew to the playground, finding the rest of the neighborhood kids standing restlessly at the edge of the trees.

"Kid's" Henry called as he came up to them. "Where are Boris and Alice?"

"They're still looking for Bendy," Kevin replied, pointing into the woods. "They told us to wait here because it might be too dangerous to look for Bendy."

"That's probably for the best," Henry agreed. "Why don't you kids head home, I'll take it from here."

"But we want to help!" Kevin protested. "Bendy's our friend after all."

"I know, but Bendy ran away because he feels bad about accidentally hurting Emily," Henry explained, kneeling down as he talked to the kids. "And if you get hurt while looking for him, he would only feel worse. So please, just trust us to find him and bring him home."

"Alright," Kevin nodded. He and the others headed home, glancing back at Henry and the woods as they did so. Once Henry was sure the kids were really going home, he ran into the woods. He got fairly far into them when he heard his toons calling for Bendy. He called out to them and they came running to him.

"Henry," Alice sobbed, clinging onto Henry as Boris did the same. "Bendy ran away and we can't find him anywhere! It's my fault… I wasn't able to catch him in time… and now he's out there alone…"

"Hey… Hey… it's not your fault…" Henry assured, holding both his toons close as he helped them calm down. "I know you've done everything you could… But you know how Bendy gets when he comes out of a relapse… We should have expected something like this to happen eventually…"

"But there should have been something more I could have done…" Alice said softly, wiping her tears away. "Something I could have said…"

"With as bad as the relapse was… I doubt there was anything you could have said that would have made a difference…" Henry reasoned. "Now I want you two to head back home. It's probably going to a while before I find Bendy and I don't want you two to be out here when it gets dark. I'll find Bendy, don't you worry."

"Alright," Alice reluctantly agreed, knowing that Henry was probably the only one that could get through to Bendy right now. "The last time we saw Bendy, he was headed in that direction. Come on Boris."

Henry watched as the two left for home before heading back further into the woods. He spent hours looking around, pulling out his flashlight as the sunset. The longer this went on the more he worried that he wouldn't be able to find Bendy in the dark. He refused to give up though, and every trace of ink he came across only spurred him further. As he was looking around, he heard a rustle.

"Bendy?" Henry called looking for the source of the noise. But instead of finding his little Ink Demon, a small black kitten came out of the tree. "Ink Blot?"

The little kitten meowed at Henry, rubbing herself against his leg before moving back towards the woods. Ink Blot paused for a moment and looked back at Henry. Getting a hunch, Henry started following after the kitten, hoping she would lead him to Bendy.

* * *

Bendy curled in on himself as he leaned up against a large tree. He was still in his Ink Demon form because it was the form he deserved to be in. He was a monster after all… always had been and always will be… He doesn't deserve to be around others as he would only end up hurting them eventually. No… it was better if he was alone…

Bendy shivered slightly, though it had more to do with his emotional state than actually being cold, and tucked his head into his knees. As he sobbed quietly, he suddenly felt a familiar weight jump onto his head. What was Ink Blot doing here?

"Bendy!" Henry cried in relief. Bendy felt joy at hearing his Creator's voice before realizing he was putting Henry in danger by having him here. Bendy lifted his head and hissed in warning, trying to drive Henry away.

"You should know by now that's not going to work on me," Henry replied, moving forward without fear and hugging Bendy despite how the Ink Demon tried to flinch away. "Bendy… what happened wasn't your fault. It was just an accident."

**"But…it… was… my… fault…"** Bendy cried, sobbing into Henry's shoulder. **"I… attacked… Emily… I'm… a… monster!"**

"Now stop that right now!" Henry said firmly. "You are not a monster! You never had been! Joey's the one to blame for the time you were forced to hurt people. He's the one that forced your violent instincts onto you, but you've been fighting them this whole time. You've come so far… please don't through everything away just for this one little setback. You deserve to be happy Bendy…"

Bendy sobbed harder and clung to Henry, seeking comfort from his Creator. Henry held him close and continued to murmur comfort. Eventually… Bendy's tears came to an end.

"You ready to head home Bendy?" Henry asked quietly. Bendy nodded and shrink back into his toon form. Henry scooped the toon up and held him in his arms as he started walking towards home. Bendy snuggled up against his chest, holding Ink Blot in his arms and taking comfort from Henry's heartbeat. Bendy started to drift off as Henry walked, feeling safe and loved in the arms of his Creator.


	18. Sibling Rivalry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one takes place soon after Skin Deep.

Julie Stein quietly opened the door to her parent's house and hid the spare key back in the potted plant. She wasn't supposed to be here, her dad had insisted that there was no need for her or her siblings to visit. He insisted that whatever he had experienced during his missing time was being dealt with and they would come and visit when the time was right. But she couldn't wait any longer, not when she knew there was something more going on with her dad then what he was telling them. So she'd driven all day to get here, planning to crash on the couch for the night and find out what was going on in the morning.

Putting her coat away and shouldering her overnight bag, Julie headed for the living room. Dropping her bag down the couch, she went to the closet to pull out the spare blankets and pillows. To her surprise though, the closet was empty when she opened it. She didn't have time to think about her discovery when she heard someone coming down the stairs.

"Dad?" Julie called softly as she headed to the stairs. She froze in the doorway when she saw a tall creature made of darkness and an impossibly large grin that seemed familiar in a twisted way. They both froze for a second before Julie screamed, stumbling backward back into the living room. The monsters flinched back for a moment before coming towards her. Julie searched around for a weapon as she continued to retreat from the monster. Her hand closed around an umbrella handle.

"S-stay back you monster!" Julie shouted, waving her makeshift weapon in front of her. The monster hissed, making Julie pale in fright but refused to back down. "If you've done anything to my par-!"

Julie cut off with another scream as the monster lunged at her, easily shrugging off a blow from her umbrella and grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Let me go!" Julie shouted, kicking her feet as she was lifted into the air but the monster held her too far away for her to hurt it. "You put me down right now!"

"What is going on in here?" Henry asked in bewilderment, flicking on the living room light. Julie and the monster froze and looked at him. "Julie?"

"Dad?!" Julie asked in surprise and relief, causing the monster to snap back to her and it's horns to straighten up in surprise.

"Bendy put her down," Henry said, looking at the monster. "She's not a threat. She's my daughter."

"Bendy?!" Julie asked, reeling from this sudden turn of events. "This monster is Bendy ?!"

The monster, Bendy, hissed again and dropped Julie onto the floor. He ignored her as she scrambled to her feet and strode over to Henry's side.

"Yes this is Bendy," Henry replied, putting an arm around the Ink Demon to comfort him. "And please don't call him a monster. He really hates being called that."

Bendy growled to emphasize Henry's words, making Julie flinch slightly.

"Bendy, be nice," Henry scolded lightly before turning back to Julie and pulling her into a hug. "It's great to see you again. I missed you and the others so much…"

"But… Bendy… What… How…" Julie stuttered, trying to wrap her head around everything. "Dad! I think you need to explain what all… this is…"

"I know," Henry sighed, smiling sheepishly. "But how about it waits until morning. It's a long story and you should rest after your trip here. I'll grab you a pillow and blanket from upstairs."

"Okay…" Julie said slowly, sinking onto the couch as she watched her father and the Ink Demon head upstairs. She swears the Ink Demon glared at her before he went out the door. She shuddered and did her best to ignore her fears as she got ready for bed. Accepting the pillow and blanket from her dad, she curled up on the couch. She didn't think she'd be able to fall asleep, but she eventually drifted off.

Julie woke to the sound of soft piano music. Yawning and stretching, Julie sat up and glanced over at the piano. She froze for a moment at seeing a completely strange, one that seemed to be purely black and white, before groaning and dropping her face into her hands.

"It wasn't a dream…" Julie muttered into her hands.

"Believe me, we all wish what went through was a dream," the stranger snorted bitterly as he finished the song and turned to Julie. "You're one of Henry's children, right?"

"I'm Julie," She nodded, getting up to better introduce herself. "And you are?"

"Sammy Lawrence," he replied, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you, though I do wish it had been under normal circumstances, that ship sailed long ago."

"I've heard that name before…" Julie replied, wracking her memory.

"I was the music director at the Joey Drew Studio's," Sammy replied with a hint of anger. "And unlike Henry, I didn't get out before everything went to $#% ."

Julie blinked at the sudden fog horn noise that came out of Sammy's mouth. He just sighed angrily, mutter under his breath about stupid toon logic. Before Julie could question Sammy further, her mom came in and happily greeted her. Julie and her mom soon ended up in the kitchen as they prepared breakfast for everyone. Julie did her best not to stare at the various… cartoon?... creatures came down to join them at the table, but some of them were harder than others. One was a walking projector for crying out loud! She was also shocked to find out Bendy wasn't always a giant monster, but could also be a cute little toon. But while the others were very friendly to her, if a bit shy, but Bendy did his best to ignore her. (A part of her was glad for that.)

After breakfast, Henry finally sat down with Julie and explained what happened during his months missing. How Joey Drew had invited him into the Studio only to trap him there. How he had been chased by ink creatures, only to realize they were victims as well. Of eventually working together to break out of the Studio and the recovering they've been doing ever since.

"No wonder you didn't want me or the others to come over yet," Julie commented as thought over everything they learned. "But you know you're going to have to them eventually."

"I know, but I want to wait until everyone's well enough to handle it," Henry replied, glancing over at the kitchen where the Butcher Gang were helping Linda with the dishes. "They have all come so far… but there is still much more recovering they need to do."

"Alright," Julie agreed. "I'll help cover with the others. At least until they're ready."

"That's all I ask," Henry smiled, pulling her into another hug. "I really am glad to see you though. Now come on, you should get to know the others."

Julie spent the next few days trying to get to know the various new residents of her parent's household. It was a little slow at first, as both sides were nervous of the other and weren't really sure how to act. But they eventually warmed up to each other and even started enjoying each other's company. All except for Bendy that is. Ever since the night they met, the little Ink Demon had been avoiding Julie even leaving the room when she came in. When she asked about it, her dad explained how Bendy had been rejected by pretty much everyone when he had been first created and Julie's reaction had stirred up a lot of bad memories. Julie felt really bad about it and wanted to make it up to the devil darling, but he wasn't giving her a chance.

Finally, one afternoon, Julie happened upon the little Ink Demon alone in his room. He hadn't noticed her yet as he was concentrating on some shifting ink in his hands. Ink Blot did notice her and came over to her and meowed softly. Julie petted the kitten on the head and moved closer to see what Bendy was doing. He seemed to be forming the ink into something with wings.

"That's amazing!" Julie praised once Bendy had finished sculpting the ink into a hummingbird drinking from a flower. Bendy jumped slightly at suddenly realizing she was there, fumbling the statue. Julie instantly reached out to steady both him and the statue.

"Easy there," Julie smiled slightly as she helped him, getting a wide-eyed stare from the toon. "You did a great job with this, the detail is amazing. All it needs is a little color… can you make color with your ink?"

Bendy just gave a confused shake of his head.

"That's alright, I'm sure we can add color now," Julie suggested, helping Bendy to his feet. "Come on, I'm sure dad still has some of my old paints around. Come on…"

Bendy just let Julie pull him along, really unsure what to do about this situation, as Ink Blot followed after them. Julie leads Bendy into Henry's drawing, sitting him at a mostly table while she got the paints. She gave Bendy a brush and began demonstrating how to paint the figure and explaining the subtle shades of color to help the sculpture be more lifelike. Bendy watched with rapt attention and very carefully followed her instructions. They were so absorbed in their work that they were surprised when Henry had to get them for dinner.

Bendy was a lot more friendly after that and really enjoyed the continued lessons on color as they worked to paint his sculptures. Eventually, though, it came time for Julie to head back to her own home. She got a lot of heartfelt goodbyes from everyone. And right before she walked out the door, Bendy slipped her his latest creation. Julie examined it once she got in her car. In her hand was a Bendy plushie, though instead of looking like the old ones her dad used to get her, this one was a perfect match to the little Ink Demon now living with her parents. Smiling, Julie tucked it carefully into her bag. She loved the new additions to her family…


	19. Friend in Need

After his relapse, Bendy was doing everything to avoid the kids, especially Emily. Bendy still felt guilty about attacking and nearly killing Emily and possibly the others. And no matter how much the others encouraged him and assured him it was not his fault, nothing could completely drive away the fear and worry that it would happen again. And next time… he might not be stopped in time. But Bendy underestimated how much the kids cared about him and they were determined to show that they still wanted to be with him.

"Is everyone ready for Operation: Get Bendy Back?" Kevin whispered to the others as they approached the Stein's front door. The others nodded in determination so Kevin turned to the door and rang the doorbell. A minute later Henry opened the door.

"Hi Henry," Kevin greeted, doing his best to act normal. "Can Bendy come out to play?"

"I'm sorry, but he's still not up for it today," Henry told them with a smile, giving them a wink. "Why don't you come back in a few days to see if he's better."

"Okay Henry," Kevin replied, forcing himself to sound sad will the others hid their smiles. They made a show of leaving the house and going down the street, suspecting that Bendy would be watching from the window. Once they were out of sight, they began sneaking back to the Stein's house and into their back yard. They pressed themselves against the walls by the back door, making sure to stay out of sight as they waited for Bendy to come out.

"You know those kids really do care about you…" Henry's voice was muffled through the door, but the kids could still make out what he was saying.

"I know…" they heard Bendy quietly reply. "And that's why it's better they stay away from me… I don't want them to get hurt because I'm a monster…"

"You're not a monster Bendy…" Henry comforted. "And I know those kids don't see you as one. Just give them a chance…"

There was a long stretch of silence before the kids heard Henry sigh. "Alright… I won't force you, but you've been copped in this house too long. Why don't you go into the backyard with Ink Blot for a while? I know being out in the sun will help cheer you up."

"…fine…"

The kids grinned at each other, their plan to have Henry lure Bendy outside was working. They held their breath as the back door opened and watched as Ink Blot came running out, soon followed by a subdued Bendy. The little Ink Demon didn't notice them as he moved from the door and once the toon was far enough from the door, the kids jumped on top of him. Bendy let out a surprised whistle followed by a warning growl, his ink bubbling slightly in preparation to transform before he realized exactly who had ambushed him.

"What are you guys doing here?" Bendy asked, torn between surprise and fear.

"You've been avoiding us, dummy," Beth teased, poking Bendy in the stomach. "We had to do something to get you to talk to us."

"Bendy… what happened wasn't your fault," Emily assured quietly, making sure Bendy was looking at her. "It was an accident and I forgive you…"

"But… I hurt you…" Bendy whispered, doing his best to avoid looking at anyone. "And I could have killed you… I'm too dangerous to be around… I'm a monster… you should stay away from me…"

"You are not a monster…" Emily said firmly, hugging Bendy.

"You're our friend," Chris agreed, giving Bendy a comforting smile. "We care about you. Besides, accidents happen between friends all the time. We've gotten all sorts of scrapes and bruises all the time from playing."

"One time I even broke my arm when I was playing with my brother," Kevin added, showing off a scar. "He felt really guilty about it, but I don't blame him. "

"And that's our point Bendy," Matt concluded. "Accidents happen between friends and you feel guilty about what happened. And you feeling guilty is how we know you're aren't a monster, so stop calling yourself one."

"Now come on," Emily said, pulling Bendy to his feet. "Let's go play. We already have some clothes for you to disguise yourself."

Bendy couldn't bring himself to argue and let himself get dragged along. Bendy was awkward at first but began to relax as he played. Before long he was laughing and smiling genuinely for the first time in days. Unfortunately, their fun came to an end when a group of older kids came to the park.

"Get lost losers," the leader of the group said. "You're not welcome here anymore, it's our park now."

The others glared at the older kids but started to head out. Bendy looked between the two groups in confusion, not really understanding what was going on.

"Come on Bendy," Kevin said quietly, starting to pull the toon with him. "Let's go play somewhere else."

"But it's not their park…" Bendy stated. "And we were playing here first."

"A smart guy huh," the leader said, grabbing Bendy and staring him in the face. "You're obviously a new kid, so I just let you off with a warning. Don't get in my way or I'm going to have to teach you a lesson…"

"You mean like when Henry teaches me how to read."

"That's it you twerp!"

"Bendy!" the others shouted in worry as the older kid punched him knocking the toon to the ground. Bendy curled in on himself, not because he was hurt but because he was trying to keep himself from transforming into the Ink Demon.

"Stay away from him!" Beth shouted, running forward only to get pushed down by the older kids.

"Just be happy I don't beat up girls," the leader mocked as Matt and Kevin held Chris back. Bendy felt something snap within him at hearing Beth cry out in pain. It was bad enough that someone would hurt him again… but no one hurt his friends! With a growl, Bendy's body began to grow. The other kids shouted in fear as they saw the Ink Demon tower over them.

**"Don't hurt them!"** the Ink Demon roared, making the kids pale and run off in a panic. Once the kids had run away, his friends hugged him even though he was still in Ink Demon form.

"That was awesome!" Kevin cheered. "Did you see the looks on their faces!"

"Thank you, Bendy," Emily smiled. "You protected us!"

"See," Matt smirked, playfully punching the Ink Demon. "You're not a monster, you're our friend and you did all you could to keep us safe."

"We have the park to ourselves now," Beth grinned. "Let's keep playing."

The Ink Demon chuckled as he shrunk back down into his toon form. As they went back to their games, Bendy couldn't help but feel lighter. His friends really weren't afraid of him and maybe… being able to turn into the Ink Demon isn't so bad… not when he can protect the people he cares about…


	20. Repercussions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter and the following one contains child kidnapping and an angry Ink Demon. Nothing extreme, but if you're uncomfortable with the subject at all... do not read...

Toon Logic could do a lot of things, from making random objects appear to make even the most ridiculous disguise seem real. One thing that even toon logic couldn't cover-up is an Ink Demon suddenly appearing in the park. While Bendy didn't regret transforming then, as he was protecting his friends, but he couldn't help but feel guilty for what followed. For he had been seen by several neighbors and it didn't take long for word to spread throughout the small neighborhood.

At first, only one or two people would come up to Henry, either to go voice concerns or to ask for clarification. Henry tried his best to brush off the questions at first, doing his best to act like nothing out of the ordinary was happening. But as the visits became more frequent and the number of people coming at a time increased, Henry was left with no choice but to reveal the truth. He did so slowly and carefully, bringing one or two people at a time to meet all the Ink creatures now inhabiting his house.

Everyone was always shocked at first, but Henry would quickly and calmly give a brief explanation of who the Ink creatures were and how they came to be in his house. He always emphasized that no one in his house was truly dangerous and insist that they talk to those under his care. Most of his visitors just seemed numb after the whole experience, saying they had to think things over before they came to decision. Others actually warmed up to the Ink creatures, especially the toons, and would leave with a smile on their face. Several others, more than Henry would like, would flat out refuse to meet the Ink creatures, loudly proclaiming that they are unholy abominations that should be destroyed.

All the toons and ink creatures felt extremely hurt with every harsh word and disgusted glance, but Bendy was defiantly affected the most. He spent most of the time curled up in the corner of the room, flipping between flashbacks and panic attacks. This whole situation was both reminding him of the pain and rejection he went through and fulfilling his fears that it might all happen again. The others each took turns doing their best to comfort the poor demon, but they had little success.

The only bright side was that Henry had managed to contain the knowledge of the toons and ink creatures to the neighborhood. It wasn't easy, with the residents as divided as they were, but Henry managed to convince them not to spread the word so they could sort this out amongst themselves. It was a very fragile agreement, making the whole thing like a powder keg waiting to explode…

Then a spark was lit…

Matt had been kidnapped…

He had been missing over a day, and there were very few leads on where he had been taken. Tensions were high and Matt's mother was desperately looking for someone responsible for what she's going through.

"It has to be that demon!" Matt's mother's screech could be heard easily in the Stein household. Even though she was outside and police sirens were wailing, it did little to mask her words. "This has to be God's punishment for allowing such unholy and evil creatures into our midst! If we get rid of that abomination… Matt will be returned!"

"Please… calm down…" Henry begged, trying to defuse the situation. "Neither Bendy nor anyone else under my care would ever hurt Matt. I promise…"

"Like I would ever trust a demon-worshipper like-"

"Come on Bendy," Alice said, pulling the toon demon away from the window where he had been discreetly watching what was happening. "You don't need to be listening to that…"

"Why are they wasting time arguing?" Bendy asked with a slight growl, his ink dripping and fingers were slightly sharper in response to his frustration. "Matt is out there! And he could be in danger! Why aren't they doing something!"

"I don't know Bendy…" Alice said helplessly, leading him into the living room with the others. "I think… I think it's something humans do…"

"They're scared…" Sammy explained, picking up on what the toons were talking about. "They don't know what to do so they're lashing out at anyone they can blame. We just happen to be the easiest targets… and… I'm ashamed to admit it… it's the same sort of behavior that happened back in the studio…"

"Sammy!" Norman scolded as Bendy stiffened. "This isn't the time…"

"If people are going to waste time blaming me, a monster…" Bendy growled, his ink starting to bubble. _**"Then I'm going to find out who the real monster is."**_

"Bendy!" Alice called as Bendy pulled his hand free and ran upstairs, his body beginning to transform. He slammed the door shut, locked it, and sealed it with his ink for good measure. One of his friends had been taken and he was not going to let whoever did it get away with it. So Bendy did something that he had never done before, not even during his darkest times in the studio, he fully embraced his demonic and killer instincts that the Liar had forced upon him. His body shifted, becoming even taller than his usual Ink Demon form as extra appendages grew from his back and spine. Bendy ignored these changes, focusing instead on expanding his senses.

During his time playing with his friends, he had created each of them an accessory with his ink. They had loved watching him create things and eagerly wore his gifts everywhere, whispering to each other that they were part of the secret Ink Demon club. And now Bendy could use his connection to ink to find where Matt was. He searched far and soon found a small blot of his ink several miles from the neighborhood. His grin widening, Bendy opened a portal to where that ink was.

He would teach this kidnapper why he should never mess with anything that belonged to the Ink Demon…


	21. True Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains child kidnapping, mentions of pedophilia, and a very angry Ink Demon. Nothing bad or even any details, but if you're sensitive to any of these topics, skip this story.

Matt sniffled and did his best to stop the tears streaming down his face. He tried to get free again but winced as the wounds on his writs from his previous attempts throbbed. He was completely trapped and had no way to escape. He was normally the brave one of his friends, teasing the others if they were scared. But right now… right now… he felt every bit the young boy he was… He was so scared right now. He didn't like the way the man who took him would look at him. It made Matt feel dirty and so he curl up within himself to try and get out of the man's gaze. He was afraid to even think about what the man wanted with him. He wanted to be home… to be safe in his mom's arms… to know that his dad was there whenever he needed him… and he wanted Bendy there… Bendy could protect him and would easily scare the man who had taken him. He'd be able to make sure the man would never hurt him… Almost as if in response to his thoughts, the room they were in began to darken as an ink portal formed in the wall.

"What the hell..?" the man said in shock while Matt felt a great relief as they watched the towering figure step through.

The Ink Devil was lean with spikes protruding all along its spine. A large pair of dripping wings unfolded from his back while a long devil's tail whipped around behind him. As soon as his glowing yellow eye landed on the kidnapper, the Ink Devil lunged forward, grabbing the man with his claws and slamming him into the ground.

 _ **"You just made a big mistake…"**_ Bendy hissed, a forked tongue flicking out between his sharp teeth.

"I'm sorry!" the man babbled in fear, his body trembling. "I'll repent! I'll never touch another kid again! I swear to God! Please just don't kill me! I'll be good!"

 _ **"You're pleas are useless…"**_ Bendy growled, smirking as the man paled. _**"I can see your soul… and it's tainted beyond repair…it's too… delicious… to let you go…"**_

"No! I can change! I can change!" the man begged. "Please! Just give me another chance!"

 _ **"Too late…"**_ Bendy's mouth opened wide and he lowered his teeth towards the man's neck. The man let out a scream before fainting in fright. Once Bendy was sure the man wouldn't stir for several hours, he released him and stood up. Right now, Bendy had no qualms about killing the man, but he knew that would scar Matt. So he would just ensure that the man would be found by the police and take Matt home. The Ink Devil easily cut through the rope holding Matt with his claws.

"Thank you, Bendy," Matt sobbed, hugging the Ink Devil tightly. "You saved me!"

 _ **"I will always be here for my friends,"**_ Bendy assured, picking up Matt easily. _**"Let's get you home."**_

Holding Matt close and shielding him with his wings, Bendy went through another ink portal. They came out in their neighborhood a block away from where the police and crowd were still gathered. Bendy carefully put Matt down, but the boy didn't let go of Bendy.

 _ **"You're mother's waiting for you."**_ Bendy gently said, trying to prompt the boy.

"Please don't leave me…" Matt pleaded, holding tighter.

 _ **"It's better if they don't see me like this,"**_ Bendy explained softly. _**"Not when they are still blaming me for you being kidnapped. But as long as you are wearing one of my creations, I'll always be able to watch over you. Now come on… let them know you're alright…"**_

"I'll make sure they know you're one that saved me," Matt assured, giving the Ink Devil one last hug. "I won't let them treat you like a monster."

 _ **"…Thank you…"**_ Bendy said, returning the hug. Matt gave Bendy a smile before heading towards the crowd. The Ink Devil watched from the shadows as Matt was enveloped by his family, his mother crying in relief. Grinning happily at his work, Bendy made a portal back to his room and shrunk down into his toon form.

"Bendy!" Alice shouted, banging on the door. "Open this door right now or I'm getting Tom to bust it open."

Bendy removed the ink sealing the door and Alice ended up falling onto the floor as the door swung open. "You know you could have just asked nicely…"

"What have you been up to!" Alice said, trying and failing to retain her dignity as she got up. "You didn't do anything to make things worse did you?"

"For an angel, you don't have much faith…" Bendy teased, before becoming serious. "I found Matt and brought him home. He's safely back with his family now…"

"That's… actually really good news Bendy…" Alice said, smiling in relief. "I'm glad he's safe… but the kidnapper… did you..?"

"He's alive," Bendy scowled, clenching his fists in anger at the fact. "I didn't even hurt him much, but I'm sure Matt will be able to tell the police where he is before he wakes up."

"I'm glad you didn't hurt him, Bendy…" Alice said, pulling him into a hug. "Even though I'm sure he deserves it, but you don't deserve the weight of his death."

Bendy didn't say anything as he returned the hug. Though he would never admit it, there was a part of him that still longed to kill that man and devour his tainted soul. Those demonic desires worried Bendy, but he also couldn't help but wish he had killed that man. For even during the brief time they had been in contact, Bendy was able to get a glimpse of all the kids he had hurt and killed…

"Come on, let's head back down," Alice said, finally ending the hug. "I'm sure the others are worried about you…"

The two toons headed downstairs and got to the living room just as Henry came in.

"Matt's back and he told the police where to find the man that took him," Henry informed everyone, making everyone breathe sighs of relief. "He also said that Bendy was the one that saved him… would you care to explain that my little Ink Demon?"

Bendy smiled sheepishly and briefly explained how he saved Matt, leaving out the details of his new form and possible powers. He would tell Henry and the others eventually, but he still needed to process it himself. The others were happy that Bendy had saved Matt, but worried about how it would affect their situation with the neighbors. In the end, there wasn't much they could do and they all went to bed.

The next day, they all laughed at the news report of how the kidnapper was fearfully confessing to not only Matt's kidnapping but every other terrible thing he had done. He begged to be put in jail and protected from the Demon that was after his soul. It wasn't long after that that Matt's parents came to the house. They apologized for their behavior and thanked Bendy several times for saving their son. Bendy and the others forgave them and soon the majority of their neighbors accepted the Ink creatures. There was still a lot of adjusting to do on both sides…. But the future was truly bright…


	22. Freedom

It was the middle of the night and everyone was asleep except for one little ink demon. Moving with a grace that came from years of stalking and hunting prey, Bendy snuck down the stairs and into the backyard. It was a few days since he had rescued Matt and the neighborhood was really starting to accept the ink creatures. But while that was good, Bendy had other things on his mind. Like the new form of his he discovered…

He wasn't afraid of his new form, not really, because he had discovered it in order to protect his friend. (Though there was a part of him that was worried that he wasn't afraid.) But he was wary of this new form and what it meant that he could become it. He needs to find out if he was a danger to his family, and the best way to do that was to experiment with it.

It was a clear night with a bright full moon, but Bendy paid it no mind, focusing inward. Bendy hesitated for a moment before calling on his new form, letting his body shift and grow. Bendy's new tail flicked behind him as he looked over himself. His body was far more stable than his Ink Demon form, so he wasn't constantly dripping ink. He had a lot of spikes on his body now, even going down his spine. His hands and feet were clawed and his teeth were sharp. And of course, all the killer instincts he had were letting him know just how easy it would be for him to tear someone apart. He was the ultimate predator like this…

And despite all that… Bendy didn't feel any fear that he would hurt anyone he cared about.

All those killer and demonic instincts that Bendy had been fighting for so long because they were the Liar's way of controlling him, were now under his control. They weren't overwhelming him as they used to, instead, he could use them to protect those he cared about. His grin widens in genuine happiness and his tail waved rapidly as well. He knew deep down, that his relapses and panic attacks would decrease dramatically after this because he had finally accepted a part of himself that he had been trying to bury for so long.

His wings fluttered behind him, reminding Bendy of their existence. Curious, he unfolded them to get a better look. They glimmered as shifted, looking like more solid versions of his ink shadows and Bendy wondered if they could even work. Experimentally, Bendy began to flap, staring in amazement as his feet began to rise off the ground. Letting out a quietly excited whistle, Bendy flapped his wings harder and took off into the sky.

The wind rushed past Bendy he swooped, dove, and climbed. He laughed as he flew through the air marveling at the sense of fun and freedom. The thrill of it made him fly higher and higher, making him feel so close to the stars and like he could just reach out and touch the moon. After being trapped underground for most of his life, Bendy never even imagined he would feel freedom like this.

But more than the physical freedom, Bendy revealed in the emotional and mental freedom that came from no longer being haunted by his instincts and the fear that he would kill those he cared about, which had been burdening him greatly especially after the incident with Emily. Finally, it felt like he was truly leaving the Studio behind.

Landing carefully on the roof of his home, Bendy looked fondly at all the glowing orbs he could see resting within, the souls of his family. He still had a lot to learn and understand with his new form and powers, but he felt almost eager to learn. He would be more capable than ever to protect those he cared about and he was determined to protect them.

Bendy watched the glowing souls for a while before he started to drift off. Returning to his room via ink portal, Bendy shrunk back down to his toon form. Yawning, Bendy crawled into his bed and drifted to sleep, his dreams full of flying through the stars.


	23. Meanwhile

It was late into the night and very little was out except for the stars scattered across the heavens. And yet in a small little house, a light still shone brightly. Within the lit room, an old man worked at his desk. A scowl was upon his face as his brow furrowed in concentration. Despite their age, his hands remained as steady as ever as they crafted the fine detailed lines as they moved across the page.

Henry was a fool to think that destroying the Ink Machine would bring an end to all his hard work. True it was the perfect tool for bringing cartoons to life, making the process faster and the creations more stable. And with the Ink Machine destroyed, the pocket dimension he had created lost its anchor, forcing it to collapse. While it was a pain to have lost the supply of trapped souls he had collected, he didn't really think it was too great of a loss. Most of them didn't have the willpower to hold a form for long hence why they were released when the dimension collapsed, unable to sustain themselves without the Ink Machine.

But he didn't need those worthless blobs of ink anyway, not when he had living breathing toons still running around. They might be rebelling against him right now, but he was working to remedy that. He controlled a whole dimension and all the creatures he had trapped within it, after all, it wouldn't be long before he had control again. He was already getting closer with each attempt and it wouldn't be long before he finally perfected his newest ritual. And once he did…

Henry would finally understand why you never cross Joey Drew…


	24. Picnic

It was a beautiful sunny day with a pleasant breeze blowing through the trees. No one could resist going outdoors on a day like today, not even those of the Stein household. It had been a little over a week since the whole kidnapping incident and while there was still some tension, the neighborhood was a lot more open to the ink creatures. Bendy and the other toons could once more play with the kids, though several of the parents kept a close eye on them. The more human ink creatures were still reluctant to interact with others, but Henry insisted that they get out more. Which is how Norman and the others ended up joining everyone for a picnic at the park.

Norman did his best to concentrate on setting everything up and ignoring the stares he and the others were getting. Norman himself had to do his best to keep his nerves down, because, unlike the others, he had rarely left the house. He was too inhuman to try and pass off as normal, but he was too human for toon logic to have enough of an effect on him for an elaborate disguise to work. This meant that no one in the neighborhood had any previous interactions with him and as such he received the most stares. It took all his will power not to leave and find a dark corner to sulk in.

The sound of children's laughter broke Norman out of his thoughts and he glanced up to watch the children and toons running around playing games together. They all wore bright smiles and laughter was infectious, causing many of the adults watching to smile as well. Bendy had the brightest smile of all, wearing his signature toothy grin. Norman grin was always happy to see Bendy with that grin because it always meant that the toon was far happier than the negative feelings associated with the grin.

Speaking of Bendy, Norman and the others had noticed that the little ink demon had been a lot more cheerful the past few days. The others chalked it up as Bendy being happy about finally being accepted by those in the neighborhood and being able to play with the kids once more, but Norman suspected it was something deeper than that. It seemed to the projectionist that the devil had been lifted of some great burden that he had been carrying this whole time. Norman had his ideas about what that burden might have been and he could only say that he was happy the little toon was finally learning to be comfortable and happy with who he was.

"Mr. Norman..?" the quiet voice suddenly addressing him surprised Norman, making him jump slightly with a brief screech from his speaker. Getting a hold of himself, Norman to see one of the children… Emily if he remembered correctly, standing there nervously.

"What can I do for you, Emily?" Norman asked the girl, doing his best to seem unintimidating.

"Is it true that you give Bendy rides on your shoulder?" Emily asked, looking hopeful when Norman nodded. "Can you give me a ride too?"

Norman hesitated for a moment before nodding again. Emily's face lit up and she scrambled onto Norman's shoulder as soon as he kneeled down.

"I'm so high!" Emily giggled as she looked around. "Now let's go catch Bendy!"

Norman complied and started chasing after the demon with the other children. The kids laughed and gladly accepted Norman into their games, each one begging for their own ride. The afternoon pretty much became a blur of running and laughter for Norman, but during the brief breaks he had between rides, he could see the other human ink creatures interacting with the other adults. By the time everyone headed home for the day, both sides were a lot more comfortable around each other. Norman couldn't help but be pleased with their special little neighborhood. And as he waved goodbye to several of the kids, he couldn't help but look forward to leaving the house more often…


	25. Inside and Out

Alice quietly hummed to herself as she brushed her hair, enjoying the peace and quiet in her room. Solitude was a rare thing in a house with so many now living in the Stein household, so it had been agreed very early on that they would spend most of the time downstairs, leaving the upstairs for those that needed space and alone time. A place where they could calm down in peace after a relapse or panic attack. It wasn't needed as often anymore as everyone came along with their recovery and Tom and Allison having moved out to a place of their own, giving everyone else more room. Still, the rule was maintained on the off chance someone truly needs to have some time alone.

As Alice finished brushing her hair, she gave the mirror only a brief glance to make sure everything was perfect before looking away again. She had a lot of mixed feelings when it came to her reflection. Most of the time she didn't mind seeing her reflection as the face she saw was finally her own, reminding her that she wasn't the same person that had been in the studio. But some days, like today, she would be plagued with memories of how much Susie would obsess over her reflection and trying to fix every flaw. When she looked in the mirror-like this, seeing the scar on her cheek, Alice can't help but wonder how much of Susie she still had in her. Alice knew she had Susie's soul in her as well as a lot of her memories, but she was still her own person. Wasn't she..?

"Alice?" Bendy called, knocking at the door and making Alice jump slightly at the sudden noise.

"Come in!" Alice said once she composed herself, turning to watch as Bendy opened the door.

"Are you alright?" Bendy asked, softly shutting the door behind himself. "You're spending more time up here than normal lately…"

"Just… thinking…" Alice admitted quietly looking down at her hands, taking comfort in seeing the pure white gloves covering them. All the toons and ink creatures were pretty open in admitting when they were having bad days to each other. They had to be less they risk things spiraling out of control. But even then, it was hard for them to be more specific about their issues with each other as in the studio any weakness would be exploited. It was better now of course, but there were still certain creatures that could not talk to each other about their issues. For Alice, she could never talk to Boris about her problems as he had been her primary victim for so long. Alice actually had very little problem talking to Bendy most days, as she had always seen him as an equal to be feared. And now he was someone who could understand as they had both been terrors in the studio that the others had feared and been victims of.

"Do you feel like talking about it?" Bendy asked, sitting beside Alice. Bendy had been different ever since rescuing Matt, more relaxed and quicker to smile. These were all great changes, ones that everyone was happy to see as the toon had been the one suffering the longest under the Liar, practically since he had been first created. Still, as Bendy looked at her, Alice could tell there were more changes to the little devil than he had said. The way he looked at her… it wasn't almost as if he was seeing something deeper…

"Just… wondering how much of me is me…" Alice admitted, placing her hand on her chest. She could feel her heartbeat, proof that she was alive, one that came at the cost of so many others. "I know the Liar had a large influence on what Susie did, but it doesn't change the fact that she did a lot of horrible things. And she's a part of me… her very soul the thing that keeps me together… Am I capable of doing those same things..?"

"Alice… you are not Susie," Bendy said, taking Alice's hand in his own. "I know you're not…"

"How can you..?" Alice began only to gasp at seeing how bright Bendy's eyes were glowing.

"I can see your soul…" Bendy admitted, smiling sheepishly. "I've been able to see souls ever since I rescued Matt… I'm still learning about it, but I do know this for sure… the soul that inhabits your body may have started out as Susie's but it has become your own. The sins Susie had committed has only left surface stains, leaving the real you untouched underneath. No matter what, you will never become her…You're an angel both inside and out…"

"Bendy…" Alice smiled, tears welling in her eyes as she pulled him into a hug. "Thank you…"

"Your welcome Alice…" Bendy said, happily returning the hug. They stayed like that for several minutes until Alice finally calmed down.

"Now come on," Bendy encouraged hoping down from his seat. "We have to make sure Boris doesn't eat our breakfast as well as his…"

"Okay Bendy…" Alice laughed following as the little devil ran off. While was a lot about Bendy's supposed new powers Alice didn't understand, but she couldn't help but be grateful for them. He was able to help Alice with a fear that had been plaguing her ever since she got in control of her body. Glancing at the mirror one lace time, Alice smiled, knowing the face she saw was truly her own…


	26. Shadow

Bendy smiled as he tossed a ball he had just made with his ink across the room, laughing softly as he watched Ink Blot chase it and bat it around with her paws. It was a peaceful afternoon. Alice sat on the couch, reading a book. Boris and Norman played cards on the table while Sammy played on the piano. If Bendy listened closely, he could hear Henry in the kitchen helping Linda prepare snacks for everyone and lemonade for the Butcher Gang who were outside watering the garden. Bendy let out a soft contented whistle as he rested his head on his hands. It was days like today that made Bendy feel like everything had been worth it. That all the pain and suffering they had been through was but a small price for the love and happiness he and his family now had.

Ink Blot soon got bored of the ball and running up to Bendy, begging to be petted. Bendy chuckled and complied, watching as Ink Blot's soul flared in pleasure. Bendy had learned a lot about souls and his ability to see them. For example, they would flare at different brightness in response to emotions. Souls also glowed with different colors depending on how tainted with sins they were. All the ink creatures had a tainted look to them by virtue of the demonic ink that made up their bodies and ran through their veins. Not even Henry's good soul had escaped unstained from his time in the depths. It filled Bendy with guilt and rage at the Liar to realize just how much Henry's body and soul had been affected.

Ink Blot purred in response to Bendy's petting, making the toon purr happily in response. Animal souls were different than humans, simpler. They were also purer in a way a human soul never could be, as they did not have the capacity to sin the way humans could. Bendy and Ink Blot both suddenly froze as Bendy's new sense told him something was wrong… very very wrong…

Bendy's gaze snapped towards Sammy, his eyes glowing brightly just as Sammy stumbled over the notes of his song before coming to a stop, getting everyone else's attention as well. Sammy gripped the sides of his head, muttering softly to himself. To everyone in the room, it looked like Sammy was on the verge of a panic attack and they were all getting themselves ready, either to help him calm down or to stop him should he slip into a relapse. But Bendy frowned as he looked at Sammy's fluctuating soul, seeing what almost looked like a shadow trying to spread across it.

Slowly, Bendy got to his feet and headed over to Sammy, ignoring the way Ink Blot hissed at the musician. Bendy was one of the best choices to approach Sammy like this, as he was less likely to try and attack the devil. And even if Sammy did try to attack Bendy, the toon would be able to brush off anything the ink man tried to throw at him.

"Sammy..?" Bendy asked quietly, reaching towards Sammy but not touching him yet. Sammy stiffed for a second as his gaze locked onto Bendy. The toon barely had time to register that Sammy's eyes were glowing brighter than normal before the musician lunged towards him.

"My Lord!" Sammy said in a mixture of awe and desperation. "Your form is so nearly perfect! My sacrifice has finally paid off and you're about to reward me, aren't you? My Lord… oh my lord…"

Bendy was only vaguely aware of what Sammy was saying because the moment Sammy grabbed Bendy's shoulders, the devil was in contact with Sammy's soul. This was another difference between humans and ink creatures. The human body was specifically designed to house and protect the soul, so it required some effort on Bendy's part to get in contact with the soul to see into it more deeply. With ink creatures, their souls were a lot closer to the surface so there were times, especially when they were feeling extreme emotions, that it took effort not to see deeply into someone's soul. And at the moment, Sammy's soul was basically shouting at Bendy's senses.

Bendy was getting flashes of time in the studio, from before he was even created. He saw Sammy getting increasingly cruel and angry to those around him, lashing out in response to the increased stress and pressure he got from the Liar. He saw times after the studio had fallen into despair, watching as Sammy turned to worship in order to find anything to keep himself stable. He saw Sammy sacrifice others in Bendy's name, even leading fights against those who refused to believe…

But the images were only distractions from the shadow seeping throughout Sammy's soul, stirring up the madness that had once plagued it. Bringing out all the dark thoughts and desires… the anger and desperation… and Bendy could feel it latching onto him through the connection, reaching all his killer instincts… trying to overwhelm the devil in his bloodlust as he used to be… telling him to kill… to destroy… to tear…

"Hold Sammy tight! I've got Bendy!"

Henry's voice broke through the fog that had clouded Bendy's mind as he was pulled from Sammy's grip. He stumbled, suddenly finding his limbs longer than he was expecting and would have fallen to the floor if not for Henry's steady hand. When had he taken on his Ink Demon form?

"Bendy, are you alright?" Henry asked, carefully turning Bendy away from Sammy while Boris helped the musician calm down. The Ink Demon nodded, giving Henry an assuring whistle as he melted down back into his toon form. With Henry's help, Sammy was able to come out of his relapse and things were able to return to normal.

But Bendy couldn't help but think about that shadow he had seen on Sammy's soul. Was that simply a manifestation of Sammy's trauma? A literal shadow of the studio's events that they have all been working to escape? Or was it something else? Something more… sinister?

Whatever it was, Bendy was determined to keep an eye out for it.

Just in case…


	27. Sinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is going to be pretty... intense...

Bendy had seen the shadow appear on several other's souls a few times since he had first seen it on Sammy's and each time it was right before they suffered a relapse. But despite Bendy's best efforts, he hadn't been able to learn anything new about the shadows. He hadn't told the others what he had seen either. He didn't want them to worry until he knew for sure it was something to worry about. All he could do is keep an eye out and make sure things don't get any worse.

But today wasn't the time to be worrying about those things. Allison and Tom were coming for a visit and they had lots of fun things planned. Bendy watched eagerly as their car came down the street, hopping down from the window and letting the others know that the two had arrived. As Linda and Henry welcomed Allison and Tom, Bendy's gaze kept being drawn to Tom, or more specifically, Tom's soul. From a glance, Tom's soul didn't look any different from the other ink creatures, but Bendy's senses were nagging at him for some reason.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Bendy pushed everything aside. He wanted to enjoy Allison and Tom's visit after all. But despite Bendy's best efforts he kept finding himself being drawn to Tom's soul as they all talked and played games, stirring up his instincts. His teeth would briefly sharpen, a forked tongue briefly flickering out, and Bendy caught himself several times reaching out to grab Tom with slightly sharpened fingers.

These instances didn't go unnoticed by the others either, though they didn't say anything outright. They just kept giving Bendy concerned glances and asking if he was feeling alright. Bendy did his best to assure them that there was nothing to worry about but he could tell that they, especially Henry, didn't buy it. Bendy could see Henry keeping a close eye on him as the continued with their activities.

Everything came to a head when they were getting ready to go on a picnic together. Bendy was just helping to carry some blankets when he brushed up against Tom. Bendy didn't even think, only reacted, and latched onto Tom's wrist looking up at him with brightly glowing eyes.

"Did you want something Bendy?" Tom asked slowly, unsure if the toon was about to have a relapse or not. The little devil didn't respond because now that he was in contact with Tom's soul, he knew what had been calling him. Unlike all the other ink creatures who were only stained on the surface because of their demonic ink, Tom's soul was actually tainted to the core.

_Bendy saw as Tom started to work on the Ink Machine, pulling out walls and putting pipes in. He knew there was something wrong about the ink flowing through the pipes, something sinister, but still, he kept putting in the pipes._

Tom tried to pull his wrist out, but Bendy just held on tightly, his growing claws threating to pierce Tom's skin.

_Bendy watched as the first experiments were run, attempting to create living toons. He saw dozen of ink creatures created, all showing some sentience. But because they were little more than blobs of ink, they were all melted down, Tom himself doing the deed himself multiple times. Then Bendy saw his own creation and learned that the only reason he hadn't been melted down was because he had been the closest they had come making a successful toon. But despite that and Bendy's obvious intelligence, Tom only stood by as Bendy was persecuted and locked away._

There were others around now, shouting and trying to pull Bendy off Tom. But Bendy's wings sprang forth, knocking them back before creating a protective shield around him and his prey.

_Bendy saw as Tom and the Liar discussed using human sacrifice to give the ink creatures souls. Tom argued against it at first, but eventually gave in and watched as a worker after a worker was brought in and put through the machine. Norman figured what was going on and tried to reason with Tom, attempting to turn him against the Liar only to become the next victim of the machine._

Bendy's other hand moved to his prey's chest, melting across his skinned as he reached past the physical body and to the soul within. A part of the devil argued against what he was doing, calling out that Tom was a friend, part of his family. But how could Bendy care about someone who hurt so many people?

_The images were flashing by quickly, only giving Bendy a brief look at the hundreds of people that were fed into the machine, forced into bodies and a world where they would suffer countless times over._

**_"Why Tom… I never knew you were such a sinner…"_ **the Ink Devil commented. He had a firm grip on the tainted soul and he could almost taste it. All he had to do was pull it free…

"Bendy… Don't do this…"

The voice of his Creator was soft and cut through the other loud voices, making the Ink Devil pause. While he didn't withdraw his hand from around his prey's soul, he did lower his wings enough that he could look at his Creator. Encouraged by Bendy's receptiveness, Henry gently put his hand on the Ink Devil's back, carefully avoiding the various spikes.

"Bendy… Let Tom go…" Henry gently commanded. "He's one of us remember…"

**_"He is not one of us…"_** Bendy snarled, his tail whipping back and forth in anger. "He is a sinner with blood on his hands and a tainted soul…"

"What do you mean?" Henry asked. Bendy started explaining everything he learned from his prey's soul. He had to explain why he needed to devour Tom's soul, needed his Creator to understand that this wasn't just some mindless act. The others all looked horrified by what Bendy revealed, several of them having forgotten memories brought to the surface. Not even Allison could hide her shock. But throughout it all, Henry remained calm and neutral.

"Bendy… I knew already that Tom was in large part responsible for the Ink Machine and what Joey did with it, but please spare him," Henry pleaded. "I know he seems like an evil person for everything he helped cause, but please let him explain his side of things. Please, Bendy…"

Bendy hissed in frustration but did as his Creator asked and released Tom's soul. As soon as Bendy removed his hand, Tom fell limply to the floor, causing Allison to run to his side in worry. Bendy ignored them both and stalked to the other side of the room, remaining in his Ink Devil form. Bendy kept a close eye on Tom as the others worried over him as he began to recover, his tail twitching in frustration.

Once Tom was recovered enough and everyone had settled down, the wolfman reluctantly started to share his side of the story. He explained how he had been forced to do Joey's dirty work as the Liar had threatened to kill Allison if he didn't corporate. How, when he refused to go along with it anymore, the Liar just sacrificed him to the ink.

Everyone was quiet after Tom finished his story. Allison and Boris were the first ones to forgive him, but the others weren't nearly as quick to respond. Bendy himself refused to get anywhere near the wolfman, partly because he didn't want to risk ripping out Tom's soul, but mostly because he couldn't forgive him. The atmosphere was still sober when Allison and Tom eventually left and it would be a while before the others were able to get comfortable around Tom again…

If they ever will…


	28. Linda

Linda could be described in many ways. A kind woman who loved to bake. A gardener that loves to have a yard full of flowers. A loving wife with a good husband and a nice home. Someone could be incredibly stubborn with a fiery temper whenever pushed the wrong way. But for Linda herself, she always first and foremost considered herself a mother. Even though her children were all grown and a few even had families of her own, Linda still did her best to look out for them and make sure they're doing well.

Then Henry returned with a new batch of children. They weren't children in the traditional sense, a bunch of toons created through dark magic and they had a lot of issues after all they had been through. They were cautious around Linda, a combination of not wanting to accidentally hurt her and not trusting her because of how much pain humans had caused them. But she was determined to love and care for them, helping them find happiness in their new start.

Boris was the easiest to win over. All Linda had to do was feed him and he was happy to trust her. He also enjoyed laying his head on her lap so she could scratch his ears while she was reading on the couch. The Butcher Gang were also fairly easy to form attachments with her. They needed a purpose to help them adjust and Linda was able to provide that purpose. Not even her own children had been as helpful in doing chores as those three were. Linda was so happy when she was surrounded by the three of them teaching them the wonders and beauty of the outside world. Alice was a little trickier as the angel was pushing everyone away at first. But as Bendy and Boris were able to reach out to her toon side, Linda was able to reach her feminine side. Linda and Alice ended up having a lot of girl talks as Linda would brush and style Alice's hair.

Now Bendy was a hard nut to crack. While the little devil cared deeply for everyone else and did his best to help the others, it was obvious he was keeping most of his own issues to himself. Even after all this time, Bendy still took a while before informing everyone what he was going through. Henry said it was because the toon had been rejected so much that he was afraid of opening up in case he accidentally says something that leads to him being rejected again. It broke Linda's heart to see how much the little devil carried around.

And now with this latest incident, revealing in full the new form Bendy had been alluding to for a while. While they didn't doubt that Bendy was still the sweet toon they knew, there was still some tension after seeing him almost kill Tom. Unfortunately, the little devil picked up on this easily and was keeping his distance. Linda was determined to make sure the little devil was still loved. Carefully opening the door to the room Bendy and Boris shared, Linda silently entered. Bendy was curled up on his bed, absentmindedly stroking Ink Blot.

"I'm fine Henry…" Bendy mumbled without looking.

"I'm not Henry," Linda replied softly, sitting on the bed near him. She gently laid her hand on his back, ignoring the way he tensed briefly under her touch, and rubbed him as he slowly started to relax. "He's not the only one who cares about you, you know…"

"… I know…" Bendy whispered, though he still hadn't moved from his position. "But it's better if I don't get near the others…"

"Bendy…" Linda sighed, scooping the toon up into her lap, making the little devil whistle in surprise. Linda held him close and started rocking gently as she talked to him. "You have got to stop seeing yourself as a monster… We've all been over this with you already…"

"But I'm dangerous…" the toon protested, weakly trying to escape.

"We're all dangerous," Linda scoffed, holding him closer and resting her chin on his head. "I think what Joey did to you all in the studio demonstrates pretty clearly that humans are capable of doing terrible things to others and each other. But just we have the ability to hurt each other doesn't mean we will. It's the same with you. Just because you have the ability to hurt someone, doesn't mean you will…"

"But I almost did…"

"So what! The point is you didn't. You're still learning about these new abilities so mistakes are bound to happen, but even there, you were still willing to listen to Henry. If you were a monster, you would have just gone through with the kill no matter what Henry said. We all see you for the toon you are, you just need to see that as well…"

Bendy didn't respond but he did clutch onto Linda. Linda just kept rubbing the toon and started humming softly. She knew it would be a while before Bendy would ever be completely well and it would not be an easy road. But Linda was going to be with him and the others every step of the way.

After all, no one ever said being a mother would be easy.


	29. Comfort

Linda's talk with Bendy seemed to do some good with the toon as he didn't spend quite as much time up alone in his room, but it was still obvious the little devil was avoiding the others. When Bendy wasn't out playing with the neighborhood kids, he was making excuses to not participate in activities. Everyone knew the devil was just trying to give everyone space so they would feel comfortable around him, but that only made everyone feel guilty that he felt that way. So that's why Henry was in front of Bendy's door, determined to talk to the toon himself. Going inside, Henry found Bendy sitting on his bed, the toon molding and then melting a blob of ink in his hands as Ink Blot was curled between his, both of them purring contently.

"What are you working on?" Henry asked as he sat down next to Bendy. "Is it a new sculpture?"

"Not right now," Bendy replied, letting the ink melt and get absorbed back into him. "I was just practicing my control, but you're not here about that… are you?"

"No," Henry sighed, gently placing his hand on Bendy's back. "Look… I know you feel guilty about attacking Tom…"

"But I don't feel guilty for attacking Tom!" Bendy burst out with a growl, startling both Henry and Ink Blot, making the cat jump off Bendy's head and hiding under a pillow. Bendy ignored all that, jumping off the bed and pacing in agitation. "I feel guilty about scaring the others… I feel guilty that I made them feel unsafe… I even feel guilty about not feeling guilty! But as much as I want to… I just don't feel guilty about attacking that sinner! If anything, I feel more guilty about letting him get away…"

"Bendy… calm down…" Henry encouraged, kneeling in front of the toon. Bendy's emotions had started transforming him, leaving him in a state that was a mix of his Ink Devil and toon form. Bendy hissed in frustration, tail lashing around behind him, but did his best to take deep calming breaths. "Feeling better?"

"Not really…" Bendy muttered, looking up at Henry with his completely yellow pie-cut eyes. "How can I face the others when I'm willing to kill without remorse?"

"Well…" Henry started, sitting down and pulling Bendy next to him while he tried his best to find the right words. "Why don't we start with why you feel so strongly about this? Why do you feel the need to kill Tom?"

"Because my instincts are telling me he's a corrupted sinner that needs to be devoured," Bendy started, trying his best to describe what he was going through. "But it's not just the bloodlust that I usually experienced from when the Liar forced me to become the villain. I know what that feels like and I've gotten a lot better at controlling those urges. This was something deeper…. Like there was something calling to my very being that someone who has committed so many sins must face punishment. Tom must face the consequences of what he's done. And I told you everything I learned when I came in contact with Tom's soul, seeing first hand all the pain and suffering he helped cause. I get that the Liar forced him to do it, that's something I can understand on a personal level. But I was fighting against the Liar the entire time while Tom didn't fight back until it was already far too late…. That knowledge combined with the call, my resolve was firm and there's still a part of me that regrets letting him live… I just don't know what to do about all these new instincts and urges. I know they're not inherently bad, but what if something like that happens again and I don't stop?"

"I don't have the answer, but we'll figure this out together just like always," Henry promised, pulling Bendy into an embrace, the demon finally reverting back completely to his toon form. Henry felt so guilty about what Bendy and the others had gone through and were still going through. While there was no way that Henry could have known what Joey had been going to do, the man couldn't help but feel like there should have been some way for him to have prevented this. If only he had Joey had parted on better terms, maybe the man wouldn't have felt driven to go this far. If only he had been better about keeping in contact with everyone over the years, maybe then he would have realized something was wrong before it had gotten so far out of hand. If only he…

"You really need to stop doing that…" Bendy mumbled into Henry's chest, snapping Henry out of his thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Henry asked, pulling away slightly to look at the toon.

"I can see souls remember," Bendy replied looking up his Creator. "And in close contact like this, it's very easy for me to feel read your emotions. You need to stop feeling guilty about what the Liar did to us in the studio."

"But I…" Henry began only to be cut off by Bendy shaking his head.

"No arguing," Bendy said firmly, staring deeply into Henry's eyes. "You tell me and the others constantly not to feel guilty over what happened in the studio as it was all the Liar's fault and you need to take your own advice. You had nothing to do with what the Liar did and are in no part responsible for what we went through. You are the reason we are out now and are able to have happiness out in the world. So stop letting yourself be dragged down for something you didn't do. No one blames you and no one thinks you should have done something sooner. We are all grateful for what you have done for us and continue to do for us now. I love you, Creator, so please stop causing yourself pain."

"Thank you, Bendy," Henry said, pulling the toon into another hug. Henry had come up here to comfort Bendy and ended up being comforted himself. The moment only became sweet when Alice and Boris burst into the room and immediately joined in the hug. Henry and the toons laughed as Henry did his best to hold all of them in his arms.

"There you guys are," Sammy said, poking his head in as the group finally calmed down. "Norman's setting up the TV for a movie night while Lind and the Butcher Gang are finishing up snacks. You better come down if you don't want to miss it!"

Alice and Boris immediately grabbed ahold of Bendy and started dragging him downstairs before he could even think of making an excuse, not that the devil seemed like he was trying to get out of it. Henry and Sammy chuckled at the toons' antics as they tumbled down the stairs before joining them in front of the TV. IT seemed like everyone was doing their best to make sure Bendy felt welcome among the group and Henry couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight. It was hard to imagine that this lively group had once been constantly hunting and killing each other. They had come so far from their time in the studio. Yes, there were still plenty of issues to work out, but they had each other to help sort them out.

Bendy was right, Henry shouldn't be wasting his time feeling regret about the past, that's what Joey did after all. Instead, he should enjoy these shining moments that exist now and look forward towards their bright future. One that they will all enjoy together.


	30. New Home

"You sure you have everything you need?" Henry asked as he helped load the last box into the truck. "If you still need to stay here a few days you know Linda and I are happy too…"

"We're fine Henry," Allison replied firmly, giving the man a warm smile. "We appreciate all you've gone for us, but it's time for us to be on our own again."

"Alright," Henry sighed, returning the angel's smile. "But you and Tom are always welcome to come and visit whenever you like. I know the others will be really happy whenever you two feel like stopping by."

"We will be sure to visit," Allison laughed lightly. "Though Tom will never admit it, that crazy group has grown on us. We'd miss everyone too much to stay away forever."

Henry laughed himself before heading in to help Linda finish setting up for the goodbye party. Allison checked over everything she had packed in the car, making sure she didn't forget anything that she and Tom needed for their new life. Allison and Tom were not nearly as traumatized as the others from their time spent stuck in the studio. Their minds, outside of their missing memories, and forms had been fairly stable when they were formed from the ink. And their skill at surviving, making sure they were never returned to the ink, made sure their sanity wasn't shattered any further. After escaping the studio, they mostly focused on recovering their own memories and helping others when they could.

But they also had time to try and pull together a life of their own. They did research once they remembered enough to know where to look, finding out their old home and all their things had long since been sold. It was disappointing, but not unexpected. So, with nothing to go back to, they decided to start anew. Once they looked human enough that disguises and the smidge of toon logic they had could let them go out without suspicion, they were able to get jobs of their own. Tom was able to find work at a local repair shop and was quickly becoming a valued member. Allison was able to become a tutor that would give private singing lessons. And now they had saved up enough money to buy a small place of their own.

They had searched for the perfect place and had found a small little cottage not far out of town. It was close enough that they could easily get anywhere in town in a relatively short amount of time, but it was isolated enough that they could be themselves without worrying about prying eyes. It would be a great place for the others to visit once Allison and Tom had settled down and fixed it up.

Satisfied that everything was in order, Allison headed inside. She and Tom spent the next few hours having fun with all the others. Allison would never have believed it when they escaped the studio, but she had grown attached to all her fellow ink creatures even Bendy. It was harder then she thought to say goodbye, but she and Tom needed to move on. They all had come so far, but they all needed to keep moving forward. Besides, it wasn't like they would never see the others again.

Waving goodbye to the others, Allison and Tom drove away. Allison watched as houses changed into woods and pavement changed into a dirt road as Tom pulled off to their driveway. Another minute and they came to their cottage, snuggled in the small clearing surrounded by trees. It was a little run down, but Allison and Tom were no strangers to working with their hands. Besides, it was still far better then what they had to live in the studio.

"Welcome to our new home," Tom smiled, opening the door for Allison. Allison giggled as she allowed Tom to guide her inside. They had been through so much together and together they could face anything still to come.

"I love you," Allison whispered, giving Tom a kiss. Tom only pulled her closer.


	31. Gaurdian

The cool night air was soothing to Bendy as he flew around in his Ink Devil form. It had become a habit for him to go for a late-night fly ever since he discovered he could, enjoying the freedom that came from soaring through the air. It helped relax him and after nearly killing Tom, he needed all the help he could get. His mind wandered to the conversations he had had with Linda and Henry as he continued to fly. They cared so much for him, even though he had shown time and again that he was still a predator with the skills to match. They and the rest of his family trusted him, trusted his good heart to overcome all his deadly instincts.

Bendy couldn't help but wonder sometimes if their trust was a little misplaced…

Bendy didn't doubt he had a good heart, he was toon at his core after all and Henry had designed him to be sweet if mischievous. But was that really enough to completely overcome being a predator, something the Liar had now ingrained into his very being and forced him to live as for years? Yes, he knows he's come a long way to controlling and accepting the instincts as his Ink Devil form was proof of that. But what nearly happened with Tom showed that his instincts could potentially lead him to do extremes. And it didn't help his sense of right and wrong was severally screwed up by what the Liar did to him in the studio.

Bendy sighed and shook himself out of his thoughts, blinking when he realized the ground below him was brighter than it should be. Hovering in place, Bendy looked around and realized he had flown a lot farther from home than he had intended, having flown over the main part of town. Luckily because of how high he was and how dark it was, no one would be able to see him. He was about to leave for home when something caught played at his instincts, making him glance down at the shining souls below him.

There was a particularly tainted soul moving among the dark alleyways, flaring with malicious intent. Bendy hissed at it and started to dive towards it, but quickly stopped himself. What was he doing? He was about to go down and devour that person's soul, giving in to his instincts. That was exactly what he was supposed to be avoiding! Henry, Linda, and the others were always telling him he was a monster and he couldn't let them down now!

Bendy once again started to turn away when once again his instincts made him look down. The tainted soul was still there, but this time Bendy noticed where it was heading. It was slowly approaching a group of teens. Bendy growled and his claws sharpened. No one would hurt kids under his watch. This time he didn't hesitate to dive down.

* * *

Within the dark alley, a mugger watched from the shadows as his next group of victims approached, oblivious to any threat from the sky. He grinned as he casually played with his gun, one that he had used many times. Teens were a great target, always carrying all their cash and never on the lookout for anything that might hurt them. They might act all tough and fearless with each other, but they always become frightened children the moment a gun was pointed at them. Oh sure, every now and then someone would be stupid enough to try and rush him, but they were always easy to take care of… With a grin, he prepared to strike…

Suddenly a large clawed hand came out of the shadows, clamping around his mouth and muffling his startled yell. It easily pulled him farther into the ally and slammed him against the wall. His eyes widened in horror as he stared at a monster made out of darkness, one with razor-sharp teeth that stared down at him with a glowing yellow eye. The monster's hand left his mouth, going down to grip his throat instead.

 _ **"Your soul is very tainted…"** _the monster said with a forked tongue flickering out, sending shivers down the mugger's spine. **_"I want to eat it… and with your sins, I have every reason to kill you now…"_**

"Please…" The mugger begged, barely managing to whisper through his fear. "D-don't kill me… I'll do anything!"

 _ **"I have no reason to believe you…"**_ the monster hissed then his grin widened, the claws around the mugger's throat tightening just enough to draw blood. **_"But I'm feeling generous. I will let you go, but you must turn yourself in to the police and confess all your crimes. If you don't… I will know and I will come back for your soul…"_**

The mugger only nodded fervently, gasping for air as the monster released his throat and he stumbled to the ground. He scrambled to his feet and ran out of the ally, shouting for the police to come for him and keep his soul from being eaten.

* * *

Bendy chuckled as he returned to the air, his grin widening as he watched the tainted soul's panic and his tail flicking around in pleasure. It was hard to resist eating his soul, but thinking of his family helped him keep from crossing the line. He can never get stop being a predator, but that doesn't mean he has to be ashamed of that. He could easily find the tainted and corrupted souls as they are about to hurt someone and make sure they were handed over to face justice. He would be a guardian of this town, his home. No tainted soul would last long under his watch.

With a hissing laugh, Bendy began to sweep over the town, making sure no one else was going to be hurt before he'd head for home.


	32. Father's Day

With all the drama and hard work the ink creatures were going through to recover and adjust to the outside world, several holidays passed by without anyone in the Stein household acknowledging them. But as everyone got more comfortable with being in the outside world and everyone came far along in their healing, they had more time to learn about things like holidays. And when they learned that Father's Day was coming up, the toons immediately insisted they celebrate it. Henry, who was their Creator and they considered to be their father, had done so much for them since they escaped the studio. Of course, they wanted to celebrate him and show their appreciation, so the others agreed to celebrate Father's Day.

As the days passed, Henry would see him run around with excited energy, whispering in groups which would fall silent the moment they realized he was there. They would just smile innocently and Henry would pretend not to know what they were talking about. Henry chuckled as he would leave the toons to their planning, reminded of when his own children were young.

Finally, the day came…

It was a lovely day and when Henry woke up, he felt very well rested. He could hear movement and the occasional giggle from outside his door, making Henry smile. Eventually, the door opened slightly and Bendy stuck his head in, smiling when he spotted Henry.

"He's awake!" Bendy called behind him, opening the door fully. The toons poured in, several of them carrying food.

"Happy Father's Day!" The toons chorused, those that couldn't really talk just squeaking and whistling excitedly.

"We made you breakfast!" Bendy said proudly as he and the others set up a tray on the bed for Henry and put the food on it.

"Well the Butcher gang did most of the cooking with Linda's help and they did a great job," Alice admitted, gesturing to the three toons who puffed out their chests at the praise. "Bendy and I mostly just made sure Boris didn't eat everything."

"You know how big of an appetite he has!" Bendy agreed as everyone chuckled at the blushing wolf. Henry began easting his food, praising the Butcher gang for a job well done.

"Come on guys! Let's let Henry eat in peace!" Bendy said, herding everyone out the door. "We need to finish setting everything up!"

The toons piled out the door and Henry could hear them hurrying down the stairs. Henry happily dug into his breakfast, eager to see what else the toons have planned. Once he finished eating, Henry picked up the tray and headed downstairs. He smiled at finding the entire downstairs decorated with streamers and balloons, and a giant hand painted a banner that said "Happy Father's Day Henry" along with the messy signatures and handprints of all his toons.

As soon as they spotted him, the toons relieved Henry of his tray, Edgar carrying the dishes to the kitchen while the others pulled Henry into the living room. Alice and Boris, accompanied by Sammy, began performing several songs for Henry, including one they had created themselves with Sammy's help. Once they finished, the Butcher gang gave Henry their gift, which was a new set of high-quality pens and pencils. They had been working hard completely extra chores to earn enough to buy them. Then came Bendy's gift. It was a small but very detailed sculpture of Henry being hugged by all his toons, all of them smiling with joy and love. Written around the base were the words "World's Best Dad".

"It's lovely Bendy," Henry smiled, rubbing the devil between his horns. "I can tell you put a lot of work into this, thank you."

"You've done so much for us, for me," Bendy said, hugging Henry. "You deserve the very best. I love you… dad…"

Henry was surprised before just pulling Bendy closer. All the toons had started calling Henry dad, at least in private, as they continued their recovery, but Bendy had never done so. Even though it was obvious that Bendy and Henry were very close, sharing a deep and special bond, the little devil had only referred to Henry by his name or as "Creator". Henry never held it against the little toon, knowing that all the rejection and abandonment the devil suffered made it difficult for him to completely open up to others. For Bendy to finally call him dad, it meant the toon trusted Henry absolutely, that his Creator would never abandon or reject him.

"I love you too Bendy," Henry replied gently, rubbing Bendy's back as they hugged, making the toon purr in happiness. Eventually, the two had to let go of each other and the party continued. They played games and ate cake, just having a great time together. In the late afternoon, while others were starting to clean up, Henry called his children. He spent time chatting pleasantly with each of them, even talking to a few of his grandchildren, but then Julie talked to him seriously when he called her.

"Do you think the toons and others are finally ready to meet everyone?" Julie asked after she had chatted with Henry for a while. Henry paused and seriously thought about it, glancing over at the toons and ink creatures who were laughing together as they worked.

"Yes…" Henry finally decided. "I do think they're ready to meet the rest of their family…"

"I'm glad," Julie replied with excitement. You'll need to set up a time for the others to visit, but I want to hear all about it when they meet! I know the kids will love to meet real-life toons."

"I'm sure they will," Henry laughed. "I'll bring it up with Linda and the others later. I think the others are waiting for me."

"Better not keep them waiting," Julie giggled. "Love you, dad! Enjoy the rest of your Father's Day!"

"Love you too," Henry replied before hanging up. He went to the couch with the toons piling up on either side of him, watching a movie as they enjoyed each other's company. Once the movie ended, everyone headed for bed, worn out from the great day. Henry smiled as he gently put Bendy's gift on a shelf. He didn't think he was really the world's best dad, but he was determined to be the best dad he could be for his toons. They had all been through so much and yet they still trusted him completely. He would do all he could to make sure they never lost their trust in him, Bendy especially.

With a smile, Henry went to bed. His family and children were unusually and challenging, but he would never trade it for anything…


	33. Sleepwalking

It was late at night and most people were sleeping peacefully. Bendy himself was out, flying over the town to make sure everyone was alright for the night and that there were no corrupted souls out to cause trouble. But within the Stein household, another figure was stirring. Quietly, they left their room, closing the door behind them and slowly made their way downstairs. They went into a living room and stood in front of one of the walls, their arms resting at their sides and a Bendy mask in his hand. Sammy's eyes glowed brightly as he stared blankly at the wall.

A moment later, an inky black spot appeared, spreading rapidly until it became a full-size portal. Sammy stepped forward the moment the portal finished forming, leaving the Stein's living room and appearing in a much smaller living room, one where the furniture had been pushed aside for the circle painted on the ground. As soon as Sammy crossed through, the portal closed behind him, leaving no visible trace.

"It finally worked," came a voice from the shadows, Joey wheeling his chair closer as he grinned at Sammy. Sammy gave no reaction to either being in a different place or to Joey's presence, just standing there and staring off into space.

"You and the others have been a lot more resistant than I've been expecting and it's been a lot harder without the Ink Machine boosting my spells, but you're still more vulnerable when you're asleep…" Joey rambled only to frown as he finally looked Sammy over, taking in his changed appearance. "How in the world do you look so different? Answer me Prophet!"

"… Henry, he was able to restore us partially. He… he…" Sammy began to answer only to drop his mask and cradle his head as the glow in his eyes started to flicker out.

"Damn it!" Joey muttered, pulling out a knife. He quickly sliced his palm and let his blood drip onto the circle. The circle flared briefly with energy as the blood was absorbed into it and the glow in Sammy's eyes become strong once more, his posture returning to normal.

"Even with this circle, my control is still fragile," Joey muttered in annoyance. "Whatever Henry did to restore your body must have helped you become stronger mentally as well. And he must have done the same to others, no wonder I've been having so much trouble. I'm going to have to do a lot more studying to figure out of to overcome this obstacle… Prophet, you are to forget everything that happened tonight and return to normal."

Sammy nodded slowly before picking up his mask and stepping through the portal that once again appeared for him. Joey sighed and rolled over to his workstation, preparing for the research he had ahead of him. Henry somehow restoring the others was not something he was expecting, but he would deal with it. He would make sure that traitor and all his rebellious creations will learn the price of defying him.


	34. Fledgling

Bendy yawned as he pushed back the covers, dislodging Ink Blot and stretching in a fashion similar to the kitten next to him. As he rolled his back, it felt different but Bendy wasn't awake enough to care. Hopping out of bed, stumbling slightly as his balance was off, Bendy started his way downstairs with a yawn. He had been up later than usual last night, chasing an abusive father who had fled while Bendy had been comforting the hurt children. Bendy couldn't help but grin slightly as he remembered grabbing the tainted soul and carrying him in his claws to the police station himself. The man's screams had brought a lot of attention, but Bendy was able to hide in the shadows before anyone could get more than a glimpse of him and Bendy was satisfied that the man would never hurt his children again.

But spending so much extra time and energy chasing the guy down meant that Bendy had slept in later than usual and was now very eager to have a large meal. Ignoring the noise of the others going about their activities in the living room and other areas of the house, Bendy made his way towards the kitchen when something tangled in his legs. In very comedic fashion, Bendy tripped and rolled forward until he landed face down in the kitchen with a cartoony thud.

"Morning sleepy head," Bendy heard Henry's voice as the man started coming towards him. "Everyone's already finished breakfast a while ago, but Linda left some… are you alright Bendy? Is something upsetting you? Do you need to talk about it?"

"I just tripped," Bendy replied, glancing at Henry in confusion as his dad helped him to his feet. He didn't understand why Henry seemed so concerned, but shrugged it off as he continued "And I'm a little tired from chasing a particularly stubborn tainted soul last night."

"Was there something about that soul that's bothering you still? Did something happen?" Henry asked gently, kneeling down in front of the toon. Henry and the others all knew what Bendy was doing during the night as the little demon had been so proud to find a way to use all his predatory skills for good. They were understandably a little concerned at first, but they trusted Bendy and as time passed with only positive results the family became very supportive.

"He just ran and I had to track him down," Bendy replied, getting more and more confused. "Why do you think somethings bothering me? I'm fine! Really! Just a little tired and pretty hungry…"

"But Bendy… You're wings and tail are still out…" Henry informed, making Bendy's eyes widen in shock.

"What?!" Bendy yelped, his head spinning around to look at his back. And sure enough, a smaller version of his wings was partially folded on his back with his tail practically curled around one of his feet. Guess he knew what tripped him earlier, but he was just as confused as Henry by this turn of events. His body was very malleable and changed pretty often based on Bendy's emotions which often startled the others until they got used to it. When he discovered his Ink Devil form, his tail would sometimes appear whenever he was feeling particularly playful or mischievous. But his wings only ever came out when he was really angry or frustrated, his emotions trying to transform him into his Ink Devil form.

The thing was, Bendy wasn't feeling anything like that right now. He wracked his mind for a reason why they like this and the only thing he could think of was he had been in the midst of transforming back to his toon form when he had been crawling into bed. Maybe he fell asleep before he completely transformed back and his body just adapted the extra appendages to fit his toon form.

"I think they're here because I fell asleep while transforming back," Bendy finally said, turning back to Henry. "I really am fine."

"I believe you," Henry smiled, getting up and pulling food for Bendy while the little devil climbed up onto a chair. "Are you stuck with them now or can you make them disappear?"

"Let me see…" Bendy replied thoughtfully, concentrating on the appendages he now knew was there. The wings and tail began to look goopier before melting into Bendy's form. Happy with his success and his curiosity growing, Bendy tried to summon them again without actually transforming into his Ink Devil form. His back bubbled a bit before his wings and tail formed once more.

"I can retract and summon them at will!" Bendy declared beaming at his new ability. "Maybe this means I can fly as a toon? I've got to try and…"

"Food first," Henry cut in with a laugh. "Then you can experiment. But I better not catch you getting into places you shouldn't with this…"

Bendy deflated slightly before remember how hungry he was. Sitting down and retracting his wings and tail to be more comfortable, Bendy eagerly began digging into his food. After he finished and he put the dishes away, Bendy went outside, waving to Linda and the butcher gang who were working in the garden. Summoning his wings and tail again, Bendy started to flap them and happily jumped into the air. But rather than the easy and natural grace of flight Bendy was used to in his Ink Devil Form, Bendy found himself struggling to just stay in the air. After a lot of hard desperate flapping, Bendy face planted into the ground.

"Are you okay Bendy?" Linda asked, immediately coming to his side.

"I'm fine Linda," Bendy replied, spitting some grass out of his mouth while Linda wiped dirt from his face. "I just wasn't expecting it for it to be hard to fly like this."

"I'm glad you're alright," Linda said with a gentle smile, rubbing him slightly between the horns. "I know you're pretty sturdy, but please be careful. I don't like seeing you hurt."

"I will," Bendy promised with a slight purr, leaning into Linda's touch before she pulled away. Linda went back to the garden while Bendy rose to his feet. Now knowing this was not going to be as easy as he thought, Bendy unfurled his wings and been flapping. He managed to lift himself off the ground slightly, but he couldn't get any real height before he tired out. He tried a few more times until he was too tired to continue and joined Linda and the Butcher gang for a cool glass of lemonade.

Bendy didn't know why it was so hard for him to fly as a toon, but he wasn't going to give up. He loved flying and he couldn't wait to enjoy it whenever he wanted to however he wanted. The sky was his to claim and nothing would keep him down for long.


	35. Celebrating Freedom

The toons didn't fully grasp the reasons behind celebrating the 4th of July. They had never learned about American history during their time in the studio and It hadn't been a topic that came up once they escaped. But they understood it was about freedom, something they appreciated greatly, and any excuse to have a lot of fun with their family and friends were great in their books.

That morning, after a light breakfast the toons and adults piled into the Stein's car and Connor's truck. The drive to Connor's house was passed in excited chatter, laughter and the occasional shout of anger and frustration as someone was jabbed with a stray elbow in the cramped spaced. Once they arrived the toons eagerly piled out and began exploring the large property, starting up a game of tag. The adults and Ink creatures meanwhile unloaded supplies and started up the grill.

The morning and start of the afternoon passed by quickly, full of fun and games. The toons and ink creatures enjoyed being able to really cut loose with their appearance and abilities without the worry that someone who didn't know about them would pass by and discover them and without fear that their more extreme quirks would frighten or accidentally harm someone else, Bendy especially had a blast in changing his form between toon and Ink Devil and every stage in between to give him an advantage in their games. At one point it dissolved into a game of "catch the Demon" as the other ganged up to get the quick little Devil. Bendy giggles with pleasure as escaped the other's grasp, easily darting between the grabbing hands or flying just out of reach.

Eventually, the smell of food cooking on the grill reminded everyone of how hungry they were and the canes paused so everyone could eat. There was plenty for everyone, even with some of the toons tremendous appetites, and everyone chatted pleasantly as they ate their fill. The games started up again after everyone had something to eat, though at a more lazy pace. They did get a water balloon fight going for a while, though they were careful that no one got too soaked. While the games went on, there was food still available and often a toon or two would take a break to snack on something.

As the evening approached, the adults herded the toons together and gave all of them some clothes to keep warm and disguise themselves. Driving a little, they came to a base of a large hill that had several other cars parked around it. They gathered some blankets and went up to the hill where there were already others sitting, but between their disguises and the darkness of the night, no one was the wiser. Setting out blankets, everyone settled down to wait.

It wasn't long before there was a whistling sound in the distance followed by a pop and the sky exploded with color. Bendy and the other toons gasped in surprise and wonder, watching as sparkling flecks of color floated above them and began to fade, only to be replaced by another wave of color. The toons loved the fireworks show, watching all the different colors and patterns paint across the sky. They were very excited when they got to wave sparklers around, making fun patterns and a few even attempting to write their name.

Eventually, the lateness of the night caught up to everyone and they made their journey home. The ride back was a lot of quitter, with a few toons even starting to doze, but there was still the atmosphere of happiness among everyone. They had a great day and while the toons weren't very attached to the original meaning of the holiday, they enjoyed celebrate the freedom they've gained. They never even imagined that they would be able to run in the sun and have fun together when they had been trapped and tortured in the dark depths of the studio. Yet here they were, enemies turned friends and families. Things they had only heard about in passing or distant memories were nowhere for them to enjoy.

When everyone tucked in for bed for the night, everyone had smiles on their faces. They had all gained so much now and they couldn't be more grateful. And soon, everyone fell into a peaceful sleep.


	36. Unholy

Bendy laughed as he ran around the playground, easily climbing away and avoiding Chris who was trying to tag him. Knowing he couldn't get the agile little devil, Chris changed targets and started chasing after the giggling Emily. Bendy took a moment to catch his breath, watching the others running around and getting ready to rejoin the game. Before Bendy could run back in though, Mrs. Curtis came walking up to him.

"May I have a word… Bendy…" Mrs. Curtis asked, her smile looking slightly forced. Bendy paused and looked at her in wariness, but gave her a slight nod.

Bendy's nightly exploits weren't exactly unnoticed by the rest of the town. While Bendy had made sure that no one besides his prey would catch more than a glimpse of him, having criminals and tainted souls of all sorts confessing their sins and turning themselves in fear for their souls doesn't stay quiet for very long. Rumors had spread pretty quickly about the cause behind all this, from a rogue police officer determined to clean up the town to an avenging angel answering the prayers of the innocent. But those in Bendy's neighborhood had realized the truth, that the little toon demon in their midst was the one striking terror in the night into the hearts of criminals.

The neighborhood kids were absolutely thrilled by the knowledge, claiming he was a superhero and gushing about how cool he was. They kept trying to come up with hero names and convince him to wear a costume of some kind. The adults were pretty accepting as well and grateful he was keeping their home safe. Those that had still be skeptical about him still or even a bit antagonistic finally started to accept him and even become friendly to him. But there were still holdouts that still adamantly protested his presence, Mrs. Curtis being one of them.

"Can you help me with something dear?" Mrs. Curtis asked, her sweet voice had an edge that Bendy couldn't identify. "I've heard you are quite handy in making things and I could use your help getting replacement parts for my favorite bookcase. I promise it won't take too long and you'll be able to come back with your friends."

Bendy hesitated, glancing at his friends. They were still running around and playing, but he could see several of them sending him looks of curiosity and a little worry. Looking back at Mrs. Curtis, without actually touching her the only emotion he could see was determination. Maybe she was trying to mend things between them? Flashing his friends a comforting smile, Bendy agreed to follow Mrs. Curtis.

They walked along in mostly an awkward silence as Bendy wasn't really sure what to say and any attempt at starting a conversation quickly died out. So instead, Bendy spent his time watching the world around him, enjoying the sunshine and watching various animals fly by. As they walked through, Mrs. Curtis's soul kept distracting him as it continued to flicker with emotions that weren't clear enough to read, but the determination seemed to be getting a negative vibe. He was also startled to realize they were heading towards a group of angry and hateful souls, setting off all sorts of alarm bells for Bendy.

"I should probably go tell Henry where I'm going to be real quick," Bendy said, smiling innocently. "I don't want to make him worried."

"It won't take long," Mrs. Curtis insisted, her voice taking on a sharp edge. "We're almost there anyway…"

"But I really don't want to get in trouble with him," Bendy replied, trying to subtly place distance between them. "It'll only take a moment to run and…"

"You're not going anywhere," Mrs. Curtis said angrily, snatching onto Bendy's wrist. Bendy hissed as he felt something holy in her hand make contact with his skin, causing it to bubble and hiss as it worked against the demonic magic making up his form. Bendy instantly started struggling, his form bubbling as it tried to transform. But Bendy didn't want to hurt her as she wasn't a corrupted sinner, so he fought against the urge.

Bendy's internal struggle on how to get away without hurting Mrs. Curtis left him vulnerable to be pulled along further down the street. He barely had time to register they were at a church before he was thrown inside. Being forcefully sent onto concentrated ground, surrounded by those that wanted him destroyed for being a demon, meant that the holy energy was targeting Bendy. Bendy's skin became incredibly hot and ink started to drip off of him, but he was strong enough to resist most of the effect and he scrambled to his feet.

"He's trying to escape!"

"Don't let him get away!"

"Hurry! We have to defeat him now!"

Voices shouted around him and Bendy's vision started to blur, making everything a mass of color and glowing souls. His form started to transform as his self-preservation started to overrule his desire not to harm anyone. He let out a pained screech as something was splashed over his body, eating into his body and causing him severe pain. Conscious thought disappeared as Bendy lashed out, cutting people with his sharp claws but he didn't care. Using all his incredible strength, Bendy barreled out of the mob surrounding him.

Ink continued to melt off of him in streams as he burst out of the doors of the church and began running away on all fours toward home. The holy water that had been splashed on him was still eating away at his body, leaving his wings too tattered to fly. He just kept running, leaving a thick stream of ink trailing behind him as his body continued to melt away. His form shrunk, claws becoming shoes and gloves as he went from running on all fours to his two feet. Ink was streaming down his face along with tears of pain, making Bendy practically blind as ran, using the shining light of his Creator's good soul to guide him.

As he got closer to home, he could hear the others shouting in worry as they got sight of his destabilizing form. He was soon surrounded by the comforting presence of his friends before feeling himself being picked up. He could feel the familiar arms of his Creator holding him carefully, Bendy's head resting against Henry's chest, letting the demon hear his heartbeat.

"I've got you, Bendy," Henry said comfortingly as he hurried inside. "I've got you… You're safe…"

Bendy knew he was safe now, but he could only let out a pained whimper, finally passing out from the pain.


	37. Destabilized

Henry had the dreadful feeling that something was wrong, one that had been growing exponentially the last few minutes. Henry put down his pens and brushes, determined to check on his toons.

"OH MY GOSH! BENDY!"

Alice's shout immediately sent Henry running, following the others as they hurried out the front door. Henry felt his heart stop for a moment when he caught sight of his little ink demon. Bendy's form was half-melted, one of his horns was practically gone and the ink was dripping down over his face. His fingers were starting to melt together and his feet were halfway gone, leaving splattering footprints as he staggered towards them. His backside seemed to be in the worse condition as there deep holes being formed as ink bubbled and melted away.

Henry and the others were immediately at Bendy's side. Sammy got to him first, reaching out to help the toon only to yelp when he touched Bendy. Pulling his hands away with a hiss, Sammy and the others stared in shock and horror as parts of his hands started to bubble and melt slightly too.

"Everyone stay back," Henry instructed as he scooped up Bendy in his arms. Whatever was causing Bendy so much damage made Henry's skin uncomfortably hot but didn't seem in danger of hurting him like it did the other ink creatures. Henry easily pushed past the heat as he held his toon son close. The little demon curled up into him with a pained whimper as Henry headed back for the house.

"I've got you, Bendy," Henry comforted is he and the others hurried inside. "I've got you… You're safe…"

Bendy clutched Henry's shirt briefly before falling limp.

"Get all the ink we have!" Henry ordered the others as he carefully laid the demon on the couch. The others didn't need to be told twice, scrabbling to gather all the special ink they kept safely stored. After Henry had finished restoring everyone's bodies to the best of his ability, he had thought it was a good idea to have a few ink wells stocked up in case someone got hurt and needed some to help heal up. Never though, did he think one of his toons would be hurt this severely. Whoever was behind this… Henry would make sure they paid…

Henry snapped out of his dark thoughts as the others returned. Taking an ink well from Alice, Henry carefully tilted back Bendy's head and poured the ink inside. The effect was immediate though not nearly as strong as Henry would have liked as the melting began to slow. Henry poured ink well after ink well into Bendy and it was only when they were on their last one did the melting stop completely and there were signs of healing, though it was still painfully slow. The ink well was still half full so Henry used it to heal Sammy's hands. The ink man protested at first, insisting that Bendy clearly needed it more than he did, but eventually he gave in.

"What happened to him?" Linda asked quietly, sitting on the other end of the couch. She wanted to help, but she was afraid of hurting Bendy or making things worse. Ink Blot was pacing around the couch anxiously, letting out worried meows.

"I don't know," Henry replied, carefully rubbing between Bendy's horns in an attempt to comfort the unconscious demon. Studying the demon, it looked like someone had doused him in acetone, but there wasn't the distinct smell that usually came with the chemical. Something on Bendy's hand caught Henry's eye, making him carefully turn Bendy's hand over to discover an outline of a cross burnt into his palm.

"I think, people tried to exorcise him," Henry said with deadly seriousness as he showed the others the burn, making the others gasp. "And they must have poured holy water on him to do this kind of damage to him.

"But why?" Alice wondered, covering her mouth in shock. "Bendy's a good demon! He never hurt anyone, at least not on purpose, and he's been doing so well…"

"He is a demon and that's enough of an excuse for some people," Sammy replied bluntly, grimacing as he thought back to when Bendy had first been made and the many violent reactions there had been.

The group was distracted from their conversation by the sounds of a lot of angry people gathering in front of the house. The toons immediately went around and started pulling all the curtains closed while Sammy and Norman stood by the door, ready to defend the others if the mob attempted to break in. Henry carefully placed the unconscious Bendy in Linda's arms and had her and all the other toons hide upstairs. Giving a Sammy and Norman a nod, Henry went out the front door.

The crowd had gotten quite large and clearly divided. The ones that must have attacked Bendy were to one side, covered with ink and several sporting bruises, cuts, and a few hastily bandaged wounds that were still bleeding. The other side consisted of friends and neighbors who had seen Bendy's melting form and had figured out something terrible had happened. There was a lot of noise and Henry couldn't do much to calm things down. Eventually, the police arrived, breaking up the crowd, taking down information, and eventually getting people to go home.

Henry and Detective Lancer, a good friend of Henry's who helped keep information about Bendy and the other ink creatures under wraps, went into the Stein household. Henry lead Detective Lancer to his study and told him everything he knew and figured out.

"This is a tricky situation," Detective Lancer sighed as he absorbed all the information. "From what you've said, the others basically attempted to murder Bendy and they're claiming he attacked them and they were just defending themselves."

"Bendy would never hurt someone on purpose," Henry replied firmly. "And he can't be blamed for defending himself."

"I know," Lancer agreed. "And if I could, I would charge them all for it, but there's another issue. Attempted murder is a very serious crime and news would not stay quiet. If we did that, the toons would become public knowledge."

"Which cannot be an option, especially after this incident," Henry grimaced. If knowledge of the toons become public, there would all sorts of debate, most likely involving major religious organizations and the government. Any hope the toons had for a peaceful life would be shattered and Henry would never do that to them.

"I'll find some way to charge them that doesn't drag you and the others into the spotlight," Detective Lancer promised, getting ready to leave. "My little Beth adores Bendy and the other toons and I'll make sure those that did this to him will not get away with it."

"Thank you," Henry replied sincerely, getting a nod from Detective Lancer as he left. With a sigh, Henry shut the door and headed upstairs.

"How's Bendy doing?" Henry asked, joining the others crowded around Bendy's bed.

"He hasn't moved at all," Linda replied, looking sadly at the little demon. Henry gently sat down on the bed next to Bendy, carefully looking him over. They stayed like that for a while, watching and fretting over Bendy. Eventually, Linda herded all the others out of the room to have dinner. Henry stayed by Bendy's side, watching over him and stocking Bendy's head. Ink Blot was curled against the Bendy's other side, occasionally nudging the unconscious toon in hopes of a response. Henry hated how helpless he felt right now. His son was unconscious and there was nothing he could do to help. The other's always referred to him as their Creator and he had been able to restore their bodies before. Surely there must be something…

In response to Henry's desperate thoughts, he felt a strange pulse through his hand stroking Bendy and was surprised to see a fresh smear of golden ink on Bendy before it was absorbed into the toon's skin. Startled, Henry pulled his hand up and was a little alarmed to see glowing yellow veins under the skin of his palm, golden ink slowly dripping through. A shift from Bendy drew Henry's attention before he could panic and he could see where the ink had been spread had healed significantly. Spurred by this discovery, Henry began gently smearing ink over Bendy's wounds, multiple times on the more severe ones. Henry watched in relief as Bendy's form became whole and as the devil started to stir, the veins in Henry's hand faded away.

"Hey my little ink demon," Henry smiled, rubbing Bendy between the horns as the toon began to wake up. "You're home and your safe…"

Bendy blinked up at Henry before letting out a scared and relived whine, immediately clinging onto Henry. Henry easily held the toon close, comforting him as Bendy sobbed into Henry's chest. Ink Blot jumped onto Bendy, purring to show her relief that the demon was okay. Henry didn't know what those veins or the strange power he seemed to have meant, but since it let him help Bendy, he didn't care. All that mattered to Henry was his family and he would always do all he could to keep them safe.

Once Bendy had calmed down, Henry carried the toon down the others so they could all see and celebrate the fact he was going to be alright.


	38. Recovering

Those within the Stein household couldn't help but silently curse at those who had hurt Bendy. (In Sammy's case, the cursing wasn't silent in the slightest but being part toon meant that any attempt at cussing was immediately censored with random cartoon noises. This of course just frustrated Sammy making curse, even more, leading to long streams of cartoon noises before Sammy tired himself out.) Bendy had been doing so well in his recovery, becoming confident in even the dark elements of his personality. But after being nearly killed by the mob over a week ago, there was a lot of regression in the toon's progress.

Oh sure, the little Ink Demon tried his very best to act like he wasn't affected by what happened, but he wasn't fooling any of his friends or family. His smiles were less genuine, he wasn't nearly as open or energetic, and he was once again spending a lot of time alone in his room. The neighborhood kids told them of how he would warily watch the adults nearby and that he would stick close to one of them whenever an adult got close. It broke the family's hearts to see Bendy like this, but there didn't seem to be much they could do other than continually assure the demon they loved him and were there for him.

Alice paced quietly outside of Bendy's room, wondering whether it was a good idea for her to talk to the devil or not. It had been sadly obvious that Bendy was very uncomfortable whenever he was around her. The little angel didn't hold it against the demon, of course, being a partially holy being would, of course, make him nervous after being ambushed in a church and nearly killed by sacred objects. But Bendy was her brother and she didn't want to spend the rest of their lives with him flinching away from her touch as if she'd burn him.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves she opened Bendy's door and went inside. Bendy was sitting on his bed, holding an open book though it was obvious he wasn't reading it. Ink Blot was sitting between his horns, sleeping with her tail flicking occasionally. Boris was also there sleeping with little Z's floating above his head. He was partially curled around Bendy, one arm draped over the demon like he was holding a teddy bear. Boris had become pretty protective of the little Ink Demon, staying close to his side whenever he could.

Bendy looked up as Alice came in, setting his book down as the angel sat on the edge of the bed, making sure there was enough room between them for the demon to feel comfortable. Alice didn't say anything at first and several minutes passed by in awkward silence.

"I'm sorry Alice," Bendy whispered, looking away from the angel in shame. "I know I've hurt your feelings a lot recently… and I'm trying to stop…"

"Bendy… Bendy…" Alice cut in softly, getting him to stop his apology. She wanted desperately to hug him and let him know it was alright, but she knew that would only do more harm than good at the moment. "I'm not mad at you… I could never be mad at you for something like what you're going through. If anyone deserves my wrath it would be the ones that hurt you so badly. Bendy… I just want to help you… You've helped me so much in the past… I just want to do the same for you…"

"I… I don't know how you can…" Bendy replied softly. "You can't help the fact that you have a slightly holy aura. You've always felt a bit warmer than the others to me because of that. It's never bothered me before… but now… I just remember the energy of the church and holy water melting me… I… I don't know how long it'll take me to get over that…"

"It's alright Bendy…" Alice assured, ignoring the tear running down her cheek. "I understand… I just want you to know I love you, Bendy… you and Boris and even the Butcher Gang have become like brothers to me. I will always be here for all of you as you guys have been here for me… I'll wait as long as you need for you to feel comfortable around me again… I promise…"

Alice began to get up when Bendy called for her to wait. She looked back at Bendy to see the demon slowly and hesitatingly reaching for her. Alice made sure not to move, letting Bendy get closer at his own pace. Slowly, Bendy moved his hand towards Alice's. When he touched her, he initially drew back slightly at feeling the warmth of holy energy. Taking a deep breath, Bendy once again touched her, laying his hand on top of hers. Alice watched with a combination of happiness and concern at Bendy working to overcome his fear, for she could see how hard this was for Bendy.

It was several more minutes finally calmed down enough for Alice to feel confident enough to slowly turn her hand over so she could Bendy's hand as well. She smiled softly at Bendy who gave her a small smile back. Suddenly Boris, who had woken up at some point without them noticing, scooped up the other two toons into a hug. Bendy and Alice both squeaked in surprise at the sudden close contact with both the wolf and each other. Boris then gave each of them a happy lick, making Alice's hair look ridiculous and causing Ink Blot to meow in protest. The demon and angel looked at each other for a moment before bursting out in giggles.

Boris' tail wagged happily at seeing the two others finally relaxed around each and the toons all began to have fun. They told stories and jokes, played games and chased each other around. Their loud laughter brought smiles to those in the rest of the house. While everyone knew that Bendy would still need time to recover from this latest setback, seeing and hearing the demon and angel once again comfortable around each other gave everyone hope. No matter what happened, and what obstacles they faced, together they would always be able to overcome whatever was thrown their way.


	39. Continuing

Sammy sighed as he leaned against the back of the Stein household, pulling out a cigarette from behind him (ignoring the fact that he hadn't been carrying one when he came outside) and taking a depth breath with it. While he cared deeply for the toons (he was still surprised sometimes how much he'd come to care about them), he could only stand to be around them and their antics for so long. Sammy had never been the most patient or social person, though after all the time trapped in the studio made him a lot more open to other people's company, and he could not understand how Linda and Henry could handle all the energetic little inkblots.

"How are you doing Sammy?" Norman asked, causing the former music director to jump in surprise and let out a squeak.

"You have a projector for ahead, making you a walking spotlight" Sammy grumbled as he composed himself. "How in the world are you still able to sneak up on me!?"

"Trade secret," Norman chuckled before leaning against the house next to Sammy. "But how are you doing? I know with everything going on with Bendy and the other toons, we've all been focused on them. So I just wanted to make sure you aren't struggling without anyone realizing it."

"If you mean you concerned all the talk about religious things and Bendy has stirred up some of my old "prophet" persona, then don't be," Sammy rolled his eyes, returning his attention to his cigarette. "I haven't had any urges from my old madness in a while, thank god, and the concern I have for Bendy and the others is my own. I know it's hard to believe, especially on how I treated my old band some days, but I can care about other people."

"Oh, I'm well aware that you're secretly a softy under all that anger and sarcasm," Norman replied, and Sammy knew that if he had a mouth, Norman would have a big teasing grin. "And to be fair, you Joey put you and everyone under a ridiculous amount of stress and pressure. It's only natural you'd be even more short-tempered than you used to be. Still… I'm glad you've been doing well."

"Yeah… just being out of that (bell ring) hole does wonder for one's mental health, not to mention having a body in constant pain," Sammy said, looking at his black and white hand, and enjoying having five fingers. "How are you doing Norman? I know things haven't been easy for you as you're still very much stuck between being something closer to human and toon, so how are you handling things?"

"I'm doing alright," Norman replied. "Being mindless most of the time in the studio made it easier for me to get deal with the trauma I did have once I came back fully to myself. And you're right, it has been difficult dealing with the fact that I'll probably never be anything remotely human over again. But being around everyone, seeing the progress we've all been making, and seeing the joy in all the toons and they experience the wonders of the world outside of the world of the studio, has made it worth it. While I do miss my old family, I've grown very attached to this new one, something you have experienced as well."

"Yeah," Sammy agreed, a soft smile on his face as he thought about the fun he has had with the toons and their many music sessions. "Have you thought about contacting your family? While our experiences here have unfortunately clearly demonstrated how we get mixed reactions for being ink creatures, I'm sure your family would be happy to hear from you."

"Maybe…" Norma said slowly before falling silent. When Henry had offered to find his family months ago, Norman had refused thinking his family would be better without him suddenly coming back into their life. But now that he's had more time to adjust to his situation, he couldn't help but wonder if he should contact them. Even if he could never go back to being the husband and father he had once been, he wanted to be a part of his children's lives.

Norman and Sammy were broken out of their thoughts by an ink-black spot forming on the wall next to them. Both of them barely did more than a blink in mild surprise at the sight of the familiar portal. (Sammy was slightly amazed how not too long ago the site of the portal would have filled him with fight and awe.) Bendy came out of the portal and looked around. When the demon toon spotted the two, he put a finger to his mouth, signaling them to be quiet, and then he hid behind some nearby bushes. A moment later, Edgar came out of the back door and began looking around, obviously in search of the hidden demon.

It took a minute, but the spider found the demon, but Bendy escaped at the last moment by sprouting his wings and flying out of reach. Edgar squeaked angrily at the giggling demon as Bendy flew to an open window upstairs.

"Not fair!" Edgar shouted before the toon spider climbed up the wall and after the demon. Sammy and Norman watched this silently before laughing at the toons' antics.

"And to think you used to worship that little imp." Norman teased.

"Well, he was a lot more terrifying," Sammy chuckled good naturally, tossing his cigarette butt behind him where it vanished into thin air. "Come on, I have a feeling Henry's going to need our help to keep their game from getting out of hand."

Norman nodded and the two-headed inside. They would never ask for this life or everything they had to go through, but it was the life they had. But seeing all the laughing toons running around their smiling parents, they could both agree that it wasn't all bad.


	40. Moving On

Tom yawned loudly as he headed towards the bathroom to freshen up for the day. Rubbing his eyes, Tom came to a stop in front of the sink. Blearily opening his eyes, Tom couldn't help but pause at seeing his reflection. Even after all this time, Tom still wasn't used to seeing his new face, the strange blend of human and cartoon wolf. After all those years of being a Boris, Tom had forgotten what his real face looked like. And even after escaping the studio, Henry hadn't been able to turn him fully human, so Tom still didn't know what he used to look like. Still, it was better to look even remotely human after all the time he was stuck as a Boris and Tom were grateful for what Henry could do.

"Still admiring yourself I see," Allison teased lightly as she came up behind Tom, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek. Though Allison had a smile on her face, her eyes were filled with concern as she knew how much Tom struggled with still being part toon. Allison herself had accepted it a lot easier than her husband, as she had been stuck as a toon hybrid with now memory of being human. Even when her memories came back, she couldn't really recall the specifics of being human versus being part toon.

"Just still getting used to it," Tom sighed, leaning into Allison's touch. "But I'll be alright."

"If you're sure," Allison said softly, getting a nod from Tom. Giving Tom another kiss, Allison left the bathroom to start cooking breakfast while Tom finished getting ready. Their little house soon filled with the pleasant scent of bacon and pancakes and the couple sat together to enjoy their meal together.

"I'm still not used to how quiet it is," Allison commented as they ate. "There was always some noise in the Studio, from the machines and creatures moving, to just the sounds of creaking boards and dripping ink. And of course having all of us and the toons in Henry's house met there was rarely ever a silent moment. And, while I'm grateful to have a place of our own, I find myself missing all the others. It seems strange, especially considering we fought against them all pretty much the whole time we were trapped together in the studio, but I've come to care for them all."

"I know what you mean," Tom said with a small smile. "Once we were all free of Joey's cruelty and influence, the toons got to be toons for the first time. And seeing them actually, have something to smile and be happy about was amazing. Still, it hadn't been easy and there's still the whole thing between me and Bendy…"

"I thought you two were better now," Allison spoke up, filled with concern. "Bendy hasn't done anything to you since the last… incident… and you know that he only did that because he's still struggling with his new abilities right?"

"It's not that simple Al…" Tom sighed, his eyes darkening as he thought back on what happened. Bendy was always the most dangerous of all of the toons and ink creatures, especially when he relapsed. But they had all know that and knew how to handle him, that even the risk of being accidentally killed wasn't enough to deter anyone from helping the demon. But when Bendy had reached into Tom's chest, grabbing onto Tom's very soul… Tom had known with absolute certainty that he had been going to die and there was nothing… not even God… that could have saved. It had been terrifying and Tom still had a hard time believing he was still alive. It wasn't something he could get over easily and whenever Bendy stared at him a little too long, Tom would barely be able to suppress a shudder.

"I know…" Allison assured, taking Tom's hand in her own. "Being nearly killed couldn't have been easy, but we've forgiven Bendy for things like that before…"

"It's not just the fact he nearly killed me…" Tom confessed, cutting Allison off. "If it was just that, I'd be able to get over it pretty easily… well… not easily… but what is really bothering me is why he tried to kill me. While I wasn't really aware when Bendy told you everything I did concerning the ink machine, but I know what I did. And there's a part of me that… that wonders if Bendy was right for targeting me…"

"Tom…" Allison began, but Tom shook his head.

"Hear me out Al," Tom insisted. "I knew Bendy was harmless, but I still locked him up when Joey ordered me to. When Joey came up with the idea of using human sacrifice to give the toons souls, I just stood by, rationalizing it was okay because the sacrifices were voluntary. And when it became clear that the sacrifices were no longer voluntary, I still did nothing because I was afraid Joey would use you as the next sacrifice. I had hoped that everything would stop when the studio went bankrupt, but I knew deep down it wouldn't. It took so many more deaths before I finally had enough, but I couldn't even stop Joey, just getting thrown into the machine myself. I am guilty of causing a lot of people decades of pain and suffering. And when Bendy was going for my soul, a part of me thought all the people I hurt was finally getting the recompense they deserved."

"Oh, Tom…" Allison said with tears in her eyes, hugging Tom close. "I never knew you felt like this… You're not as evil as you fear… while I can't deny you have some responsibility about what happened, but Joey is the one truly behind everything. You and I both know that Joey is a master manipulator who will do anything to get his way. You were a victim just like everyone else. Yes… you probably should have acted sooner, but you don't deserve to have your soul devoured. And above all else, I know you're a good person and I love you."

"I love you too Allison," Tom replied, holding Allison close as tears streamed down his face. Tom knew he had a lot of guilt to overcome and a lot he needed to make up for what he did. A part of him still didn't believe he deserved a second chance let alone the love of someone as amazing as Allison. But he would do his best to live up to the second chance and be the man Allison deserve. He couldn't change the past, but he could move on to make a better future.


	41. Hungry Wolf

Bendy flapped his wings lazily as he drifted through the air. It had been a quiet night, without any tainted souls out to cause harm. So Bendy had decided to enjoy the peace and quiet, letting himself enjoy flying around just for the fun of it. The night sky was his domain, but now he was headed home. Bendy smiled as he came in sight of the Stein house, with the souls of his family glowing softly as they slept.

Bendy blinked as he noticed there was a soul up and moving about. Focusing on it, Bendy was able to recognize it as Boris' soul. Now, it wasn't completely unusual for someone to get up in the middle of the night, as nightmares were still something that occurred more often than any of them like to admit. But what really concerned Bendy was the shadow he could see covering Boris' soul. Was the wolf suffering from a relapse?

Bendy flapped harder, increasing his speed as he dove towards his home. He opened an ink portal on the roof, flying through it and coming out in the living room. Bendy flipped around and landed lightly on his feet, ready to restrain Boris in case Boris was reverted to the time he was turned into Brute Boris, but staying far enough back in case Boris just thought he was back in the studio and terrified of Bendy.

But Boris didn't react to Bendy's sudden entrance, just standing frozen in the center of the living room with his back to Bendy. Bendy could sense the presence of Ink, more should be in the room and spotted ink dripping from Boris' fingers. Was Boris injured?

 **"Boris?"** Bendy asked in worry, starting to reach out to the wolf. Bendy hesitated before actually making contact as the last time he came in direct contact with someone with a shadow on their soul, his instincts and emotions started going wild. Before Bendy could come to a decision, the shadow faded from Boris' soul and the wolf looked around in confusion.

"Hi, Bendy!" Boris greeted when he spotted the Ink Devil, waving happily. "Did you just come back from your patrol? Fight any bad guys?"

 **"Yeah, I just got back,"** Bendy aid slowly, looking at the wolf in confusion. The shadow seemed to be completely gone, so Bendy let his body transform back into his toon self. "It was a quiet night so I just flew around for a while. But what are you doing down here? Do you remember why you were up?"

"…No.," Boris answered after thinking about it for a moment. "Maybe I was sleepwalking? Or maybe I came down for a midnight snack! I am feeling a little hungry after all."

"You're always hungry," Bendy chuckled, finally relaxing. While Bendy was still concerned about those shadows he'd see occasionally, he was happy to see that Boris was fine. "If we're quiet, I'm sure we can have a little something. Linda made brownies yesterday and I know she hid them!"

"Then what are we waiting for!" Boris said excitedly, picking up the toon demon. "Let's go!"

"Quiet Boris!" Bendy insisted in a hurried whispered, as Boris started carrying him towards the kitchen. "We don't want to wake everyone!"

"Sorry," Boris apologized, lowering his voice and stepping more carefully. The two snuck into the kitchen, Boris lifting Bendy so that the toon demon could reach the top shelf. Moving some jars aside, Bendy pulled out a large container. The two toons shared a grin as Boris placed Bendy on the table with the wolf settling down in a chair. The two eagerly began to dig into the brownies, talking happily about anything and everything. It wasn't long before the two toons finished off all the brownies and, feeling full and happy, fell asleep on the spot.

When the two toons were discovered in the morning, Linda and Alice gave them a long lecture while the others tried to hide their smiles and stifle their laughter. Boris and Bendy then had to clean the kitchen and several other rooms as punishment, but they both agreed it was worth it.


	42. New Arrivals

The Stein household was filled with activity as everyone worked together to make the place clean and welcoming. Henry had been talking to everyone and it had been decided that it was time for the toons to meet Henry and Linda's children. Natasha, Henry and Linda's oldest child, was coming with her family to visit for a few days. With all the toons and ink creatures now living in the Stein household, there wasn't really any place for guest to stay, so the Stein's helped them pay for a nearby hotel. The toons were both nervous and excited about meeting more of their family, which was why Linda had them cleaning to help keep them busy and distracted.

Eventually, Bendy, who had been pretty much glued to the window, announced that they were pulling into the driveway. The adults then herded the toons upstairs, so they could be introduced when the time was right, and Henry and Linda went to greet their children and grandchildren.

Linda hugged Natasha and her husband Mike in greeting, while the three boys scrambled around Henry, demanding he tells them stories and draw them pictures. Henry laughed, promising he would later and lead them to the living room with the rest of the adults following behind. The adults sat down to catch up the kids were distracted with toys and games on the floor.

"So dad…" Natasha began after she and her parents had talked for a bit. "What happened? Why did you go missing? What happened while you were gone?"

"It's a long story…" Henry sighed, holding Linda's hand. "But there are some people I want you to meet, but you must promise to be calm about it. I promise to explain everything, but you must remain calm."

"I promise dad'" Natasha replied, slightly confused by Henry's request.

"Come on boys we have some new friends for you to meet," Linda said, gathering her grandchildren while Henry went upstairs. A moment later, Henry returned though he was not alone. He was carrying Bendy in his arms with Alice and Boris standing close next to them. The Butcher Gang shuffled closely behind them with Norman and Sammy keeping their distance, though they were keeping an eye on everyone.

"Dad…" Natasha asked in surprise, looking unsure how to react. Mike held Natasha close, looking ready to protect her and their children. Their children, on the other hand, looked at the toons with wide eyes before breaking out into smiles.

"Are you guy's real-life toons?" Austin, the oldest, asked while running up to them. The toons returned Austin's smile and nodded in confirmation. "I'm Austin. Those are my brothers, Simon and Lewis."

"Can you do any cool tricks like in the cartoons Grandpa used to show us?" Simon asked as he and Lewis also came forward.

"You're pretty," Lewis commented, starring straight at Alice and making the angel giggle.

"I can't do everything I did in the cartoons, but I do have some new tricks up my sleeve," Bendy replied with a grin, holding out a hand. Ink gathered in it and began to morph until three little Bendy plushies sat on his palm. The boys all gasped in awe and eagerly took the plushies, hugging the close and laughing when the plushies squeaked.

"My toons, why don't you take them to the backyard to play," Henry suggested, putting Bendy down. The toons nodded happily and they dragged the boys to the backyard with Norman and Sammy following to keep an eye on them.

"What… What are they?!" Natasha demanded as soon as they toons were out of sight. "What were those… creatures!? You just let my boys run off with them!?"

"Natasha calmed down," Henry insisted as he joined them once more on the couch. "I promise the boys will be safe they've probably never been safer. Let me explain…"

Henry began explaining everything he went through in the studio, how Joey had all of them trapped and forced to fight each other until they were finally able to work together to get free. By the end of Henry's story, Natasha was still skeptical, but willing to give the toons a chance. Mike just had a hard time understanding how such creatures existed since he refused to believe in magic. When the boys and toons came back in, laughing and telling their parents about how much fun they were having, Mike and Natasha were able to relax a bit more and even gave the toons small smiles. They still needed to get used to the idea of the toons, but they were willing to try and get to know them.


	43. Oldest Child

The next few days went fairly well, all things considered. The boys absolutely adored the toons, spending all their time playing with them and sometimes even fought over who could play with who first. The toons loved the attention, but they made sure to settle the fights between the boys quickly and usually in a way that made everyone happy. Mike still had a hard time accepting the toons' existence and was very wary to let his children play with them. Only repeated assurances from Linda and Henry kept Mike from truly objecting against the toons being with his kids, though he kept a close eye on them. The toons were used to this kind of behavior from adults, especially when their true existence was first revealed. So while they were polite to Mike, they mostly just ignored him until he'd be ready to accept them.

Natasha, while still hesitant, was a lot more open to the toons and was doing her best to get to know them. The toons were happy to talk to her when they weren't busy playing with the kids, and it wasn't long before she started to relax around them, except for Bendy. For some reason, Natasha had not been able to really talk to him. It wasn't because the little devil was hiding the opposite seemed to be true. He was almost always in the same room as Natasha, usually crouched on top of the highest couch, watching Natasha's every move.

Bendy wasn't glaring at Natasha and he would flash her an innocent smile whenever she looked at him. But his constant staring was putting Natasha on edge, making her feel like she was being stalked by a predator. She tried to ignore the growing feeling of discomfort and often attempted to talk to Bendy. But the little Ink Demon rarely replied, either disappearing through a puddle of ink or just continuing with that unnerving staring.

By the second day, pranks began to start. It was small things that Natasha almost didn't realize something was going on. Things like her things being rearranged, or something she just put down suddenly going missing. Then it started to escalate to things like find her face drawn on when she woke up in the morning and all her shirts suddenly dyed black. It was obvious Bendy was behind the pranks, especially when she found small silhouettes of Bendy's head draw somewhere on all of her possessions.

Natasha had no idea why Bendy was targeting her like this and Linda and Henry were just as clueless. Henry tried to talk to the little Ink Demon about it, but Bendy refused to explain. So Natasha decided she was just going to have to take things into her own hands.

* * *

Bendy giggled slightly to himself as he set up the bucket of ink over a doorway as well as a bag of feathers. His tail swished lazily behind him, manifesting because of his mischievousness. He knew he was being a little petty for all the pranks he was pulling all these pranks on Natasha, but he couldn't help it. Natasha being born had been a big part of the reason Henry had left the Studio, left Bendy and the others in the hands of Joey.

Bendy knew that wasn't fair to either Natasha or Henry. Natasha didn't have a say in anything that happened when she was a baby and Henry staying in the studio didn't mean he would have been able to stop Joey's plans. In fact, having Henry still at the Studio probably only would have made him another victim of the Studio, likely making it impossible for any of them to have ever escaped. Bendy knew all this, but he couldn't help but still feel some slight resentment towards Natasha. Besides, both his toon and demonic instincts loved pulling all the pranks.

With everything set up, Bendy jumped over to the top of a nearby bookcase. He settled down with a grin on his face as he waited for the show.

"Bendy? Are you here?" Natasha asked as she slowly opened the door. "I need to talk to - EEEKKK!"

Natasha's scream of surprise dissolved into coughing as she stood covered in dripping ink and feathers. Bendy giggled at the sight until he felt the bookcase shake slightly. Bendy peered over the side to see Natasha reaching for him. He ducked away and went to the wall. Letting the ink in his hands and feet soften and become sticky, Bendy scrambled up the wall and across the ceiling to the center of the room, well out of reach of Natasha.

"That's not fair!" Natasha complained, standing under the little devil. Bendy's head spun around easily so he could give her an innocent smile, a sight that was somehow both really creepy and strangely adorable. Bendy giggled, turning his head around, and was about to crawl away when something hit, nearly making him lose his grip. Whipping his head around, Bendy only had time to see Natasha make of a ball of ink and feathers off from the stuff dripping off her and throwing it Bendy. It smacked him in the face and he squeaked in surprise before he lost his grip completely, making him fall to the floor.

"Bendy!" Natasha said in surprise running over to the fallen toon. "Are you alright? I didn't mean to…"

Natasha cut off with a sputter as Bendy threw a ball of ink at her. Bendy giggled as he ran away from Natasha as she wiped the ink off her face.

"I'm going to get you for that!" Natasha grinned, giving chase and throwing the ink at Bendy. The room dissolved into laughter as the two of them ran around throwing ink at each other until they both got tired out. After they caught their breath, Natasha was finally able to have a long talk with Bendy, letting them finally bond as the siblings they were. They worked together to clean up the room, Bendy reabsorbing the ink while Natasha straightened up everything they had knocked over.

They still had a lot to get used to about each other, but they were determined to make it work. They were family after all.


	44. Aquaphobia

It was the last day Natasha and her family would be visiting the Stein household as they would be leaving early the next morning, so the kids and toons decided to end it with a splash. They set up a large inflatable pool and filled it with water from the garden hose. The boys and the toons had a great time splashing around and playing games, though the toons made sure to stay out of the water every so often so as not to let their inky bodies stay too wet for too long. The only one that never went into the pool himself was Bendy. He still played with everyone, using small buckets to suddenly splash some unsuspecting victim and he laughed from atop a high branch as he pelted everyone with water balloons before a great shot from Alice knocked him down. But he still gave the pool a wide birth. Eventually, everyone started to get hungry. The Butcher Gang went inside to help Linda make lunch while Alice, Boris, and Bendy started setting a table outside.

"Join us in the pool Bendy!" Simon said as he and Lewis splashed around in the pool. Bendy was putting a cloth on the table while Alice and Boris went inside to get plates and cups, leaving the demon alone with the boys.

"I'm fine, I'd rather stay dry right now," Bendy replied, shaking his head though he gave the boys an assuring smile. "Besides, we're about to eat so there's no point in me jumping in when I would just have to get out again."

"'Come on! It's fun!" Simon insisted only to get another shake from Bendy. While Bendy and Simon were talking, Austin started to sneak up behind the toon with a mischievous smile on his face. The little Ink Demon didn't see Austin until the boy grabbed him from behind and threw him into the pool.

Bendy hit the water with a large splash, making the boys laugh at the prank. But within the water, Bendy was assaulted with memories of the mob in the church, remembering how the water ate away his body and the severe pain it caused. The boy's innocent laughter twisted in Bendy's mind to the angry yells of the mob and the demon was filled with fear and began to panic. He let out a loud fearful shriek as his body responded instantly to his distress and partially transformed. With the help of his wings, Bendy shot out of the water, his newly formed claws cutting Austin's arm as the demon scrambled to get away, making the boy scream in pain.

Henry was the first one to appear at the door and Bendy instantly leaped into his arms. The little Ink Demon curled against Henry's chest with his wings folding around his body like a protective cocoon. His tail wrapped around Henry's arm and held on tightly as he quaked in fear. Henry barely had time to hold the distressed toon close and start rubbing him comfortingly before Natasha and Mike pushed past him to get to Austin. The boy was crying and clutching his still bleeding arm as his parents came to help him.

"I thought you said that thing was safe for our kids to be around!" Mike yelled once he had made sure Austin wasn't seriously injured while Natasha was quietly trying to calm Austin down so she could get him inside. Bendy flinched at the loud accusation and curled tighter against Henry.

"He is," Henry replied calmly, carefully turning so Bendy faced away from Mike just incase the angry father wanted to hurt the poor devil. "I'm not sure what happened, but Bendy would never hurt a child on purpose. It was just an accident…"

"An accident that will leave a permeant scar on my son!" Mike snapped back. "He's lucky the cut wasn't any deeper or he'd need to get stitches! That thing is dangerous!'

"Don't call Bendy a thing!" Alice said, coming to Bendy's defense with Boris standing behind her in support. "You have no idea what he's been through! You have no right to judge him!"

"It's my fault!" Austin spoke up, tears still streaming down his face. "He didn't want to go into the pool, but I pushed him in!"

"But that's no excuse for hurting you!" Mike replied, still glaring at the demon hiding against Henry's chest. The conversation dissolved into a full-on argument with Boris and Alice defending Bendy while Mike insisted all the toons and ink creatures stay away from his family. The yelling upset all the boys and soon they were all crying, keeping Natasha's hands full as she tried to calm them while still tending to Austin's wound. Henry did his best to remain calm and tried to stop everyone from arguing, but was having little success, leaving him with a trembling toon that was only getting more upset as everyone yelled about him and at him.

"Enough!" Linda said in a commanding voice as she came out, with the Butcher Gang huddled behind her. She hadn't been very loud, but the authority in her tone and instantly caused the yelling to stop. "Henry take Bendy up to his room and help him calm down. Alice, Boris, take the boys inside to help calm them down and take care of Austin's wound. You know where the first aid kit is. Charley, Barely, Edgar, you three finish up preparing lunch and bring the boys some food. I'm sure they'll feel a lot better once they have full stomachs. I'll explain the situation to Natasha and Mike."

Everyone nodded and followed Linda's instructions and disappeared inside the house, leaving Linda alone with the two adults. They just stared at each other in silence for a while before Mike eventually broke it saying. "I can't believe you still trust those things to be alone with our children after what happened."

"I know you might not believe me, especially after that accident. And it was an accident," Linda said, narrowing her eyes slightly when Mike opened his mouth to protest only to snap it shut at her look. "But the toons love children and will do everything they can to keep them safe. Many of my neighbors will tell you that they trust their kids to be around the toons more than they do anyone else."

"I'm sure that's true mom," Natasha said, standing next to her husband and taking his hand in hers to help keep him calm. "But then how can an accident like this happen?"

"The toons have been through a lot since the day they were first brought to life in this world," Linda began to explain, taking a seat and gesturing for Mike and Natasha to do the same. "Henry told you a bit about the condition he found them in and how they've been recovering from all their trauma. And though they've come a very long way since their time trapped in the studio, there are still things that can cause them to lash out instinctively. Bendy especially can have the most extreme and violent reactions simply because he went through a lot more than the others and the nature of what Joey did to him."

"Did being pushed in the pool by Austin cause one of these instinctual reactions?" Natasha said as she thought it over getting a nod from Linda. "We did hear that terrifying sound, so that must have been Bendy. What happened to him to make him react like that to water?"

"Water has always been a tricky subject when it came to the toons," Linda sighed gazing at the pool. "The toons might seem solid, but they are still ink on a fundamental level. While they can enjoy being in water or splashing each other for a while at a time, there has never been any doubt to anyone that too much exposure could cause serious damage or even death. It had never been a serious issue though until a mob tried to kill Bendy not too long ago. They splashed him with Holy Water and he was half-melted by the time he had made it back to us."

"That's horrible!" Natasha gasped and even Mike looked disturbed.

"Bendy never says it, but we all know he nearly died that day," Linda continued sadly. "For days afterward he couldn't even look at water without freaking out. It's been hard but he's gotten better, even to the level where he can play and splash himself and others like they were doing early. The only thing he still can't do is be fully submerged in it and I wouldn't be surprised if he never can."

"So when Austin pushed him, he thought he was dying again," Mike concluded in realization. "I guess… that makes sense why he would react so violently… Is there anything we can do to make it up to him?"

"Unfortunately no," Linda sighed, looking the two in the eye. "He doesn't trust you two nearly enough for you to be able to help him like that. The best thing you can do is just be there for your sons and help them understand that it really was an accident on both sides. And if Henry is able to calm Bendy enough that he'll join us, just treat him like normal. He fears being seen as a monster, but he doesn't want pity from people that can never really understand what he's gone through. Just act like this incident isn't a big deal or even pretend it never happened. We'll deal with it more once you're gone."

Natasha and Mike were reluctant but they agreed to do as Linda said. The three went inside and joined the others in the living room. The boys immediately came up to their parents, both for comfort and to explain that it wasn't Bendy's fault. Natasha and Mike assured their children everything was okay and that it was no one's fault and soon the toons were able to get the kids playing games.

It was several hours later before Henry came downstairs with Bendy. The little ink Demon stayed close to his Creator, keeping a wary eye on Natasha and Mike especially. But as the two followed Linda's advice and acted as if nothing had happened, Bendy was eventually able to relax and even joined the others in their games. When the family finally said their goodbyes, they were able to do so on happy terms though not nearly as comfortable as they would have liked. Still, Natasha and Mike promised to bring the boys again sometime and even said Henry and Linda could bring the toons to visit them.

With a final farewell, they left to return to their own home while those in the Stein household went to bed, ready for whatever adventure the next day might bring.


	45. Connected

Ever since the ink had claimed him, Sammy has had a connection with Bendy. He didn't know how the connection came about because of how much he had been exposed to the ink before he was transformed, the nature of the ritual that changed, or if it was something that Joey did intentionally. But the connection was there and it was real, letting Sammy feel Bendy's emotions and even his thoughts.

When he was first transformed by the ink, the connection terrified him. He thought he was going insane when he felt emotions and heard thoughts that weren't his own. But as Sammy adapted to his new situation to survive, the connection was helpful. At that point in time, Bendy had accepted the fact that no one cared about him and had stopped trying to break free of his chains. So rather than focus on his miserable existence, the Ink Demon passed his time daydreaming of the outside world. He would imagine the sun and what it would like to be out in it, feeling a pleasant breeze, wondering what flowers looked like. Those daydreams of Bendy's kept Sammy sane, reminding the man of his own life outside of the Studio turned ink prison.

Then the Liar took complete control of the ink and the Studio.

Sammy could still remember the day the Liar forced Bendy to become a villain and the predator they all feared, though he didn't understand that was what was happening at the time. Bendy had been daydreaming about having a picnic in Boris and Alice, trying to guess what the colors would look like and how things would taste. Then suddenly, the sunny day Bendy had been imagining became dark and stormy before being torn apart completely. Bendy had been filled with fear and panic that had soon been twisted and consumed by hate, anger, and bloodlust, snapping free of the chains that held him.

Bendy hadn't been the only one to go on a killing rampage that day.

Sammy had been able to come back to his own self much faster than the Ink Demon, not that it did him much good. Between the studio becoming more deadly and Bendy's fluctuating state of mind, Sammy's sanity began to slip away. Sammy began worshiping Bendy because of his connection to the Ink Demon. He started viewing Bendy's daydreams during the Demon's more lucid moments as visions and promises as freedom. He became convinced that the Ink Demon was a god and he was his Prophet.

When they were freed from the Studio and Henry started restoring everyone's bodies and minds to the best of his ability, Sammy thought the connection had been severed. Between his own fluctuating emotions and recovering mind, Sammy didn't notice anything right away. But while the connection had been reduced significantly, it was still there.

Sammy no longer knew Bendy's thoughts and he only ever felt the demon's emotions when they very strong. At first, it was annoying and worrisome, as most of the time the demon was usually filled with fear and guilt. But as all of them adjusted and recovered, Sammy usually only felt happiness with the occasional exception. It wasn't until the incident with the church mob that Sammy realized he would know when the little Ink Demon was in serious pain. He had been playing the piano as Alice sang along when his back felt like it was full of pins and needles, followed by a feeling of fear and panic from Bendy. He had stopped playing immediately and went to the window with Alice trailing behind in confusion. It was only a moment later when Bendy came stumbling down the sidewalk.

It was obvious though that Bendy didn't know about the connection and Sammy was determined to keep it that way. Bendy had the bad habit of feeling guilty for everything that happened to the others in the studio, even though he knew Joey was the true source of all the pain and suffering, and Sammy was not going to give the little toon another reason to blame himself. Besides he had the connection long enough that he could keep it under control.

But while Sammy had his connection under control and could keep his own emotions from reacting to those that weren't his own, Henry obviously couldn't. Once Sammy was stable enough that he could start paying attention to the world around him, it became obvious to him that Henry was reacting to emotions that weren't his own. It was subtly and Sammy was sure Henry wasn't aware of it and Sammy still wasn't sure if Henry only had a connection with only Bendy or all the toons. But ever since the church incident, Henry's connection with the little Ink Demon had become a lot stronger. Henry would smile brightly whenever Bendy was happy and was always the first one there to comfort him whenever the little devil was upset. When the pool incident happened, Henry was already heading towards the back door when Sammy felt Bendy's panic.

It was time Sammy talked with Henry.

It was a few days since Natasha and her family had left and things had mostly returned to normal, at least what they considered normal. The toons were out playing with the neighborhood kids, Linda was out running errands, Norman was tinkering with an old radio he had gotten, and Henry was in his drawing-room.

"How are you doing Henry?" Sammy asked as he closed the door gently behind him.

"Pretty good," Henry replied, glancing up briefly from his work to give Sammy a welcoming smile. "Bendy seems to be over the pool incident for the most part and he's having fun with the others."

"You and I both know that he's still feeling some guilt over hurting Austin," Sammy replied, taking a seat next to the desk. "But playing with the kids is helping, you can feel his happiness increasing too."

"Yeah and I'm glad… wait…" Henry said, finally stopping his work completely to look at Sammy. "How did you know about that?"

"There was a reason I became the "Prophet" Henry," Sammy replied with a sigh. "I've had a connection with Bendy for a long time and I know you do too. Come on Henry, you've been helping us with all the changes we have gone through, it's my turn to help you."

"I didn't realize anything was different at first," Henry sighed, sitting back as he thought over everything. "I was pretty in tune with what the toons were feeling and knew when something was wrong. Whenever I thought about it, I usually wrote it off as having created the toons originally or even a father's intuition. It wasn't until the church incident that I realized the Studio had affected me far more than I had thought."

"What happened?" Sammy prompted.

"Bendy was so hurt…" Henry mumbled, eyes darkening as he thought back to that day. "He was healing, but not nearly as fast as he normally does. I just wanted him to be better. I wanted to be able to do something… and that's when this happened…"

Henry held up his hand and glowing golden liquid began to seep from his skin and pool in his palm. It was ink, because if there was anything Sammy knew it was ink. Even if the ink wasn't a glowing gold, Sammy could tell it was special. The ink in the Studio was alive and during Sammy's more lucid moments he always compared it, Joey. It was a dark and hungry thing, always taking everything from those that came into contact with it and leaving them with nothing but pain and misery. And if the ink of the Studio was like Joey, the ink in Henry's hand was like him. Even from where he was sitting, Sammy could feel warmth and safety radiating from it and maybe even love. Sammy knew that ink was full of untold potential, though what exactly Sammy wasn't sure and there was a part of him that was tempted to find out.

"This golden ink was able to heal Bendy," Henry continued, letting the ink stay there for a moment before absorbing back into his skin. "It was able to restore him and I was so relieved. But ever since then, I've been able to feel his emotions stronger than any of their others. It's confusing and can be very disorienting sometimes, but I don't regret it."

"If you want, I can help you control the connection," Sammy suggested. "I know how overwhelming it can be and the last thing you'll want if Bendy is panicking is to be panicked yourself."

"Thanks, Sammy," Henry replied in relief. "I'd appreciate it."

"No problem," Sammy replied, happy to help Henry after all he's done for him and the others.


	46. The Projectionist's Wife

Mia always considered herself a strong woman, though physically she was always on the thin side. Whenever someone looked down on her, whether for her skin color or her gender, she would just brush it off and continue on her way. After all, what did the opinion of strangers matter compared to the love of her family and her devoted husband? When Norman disappeared, things only got more difficult. Rumors were running rampant how he had run off with someone else, but Mia knew in her heart it wasn't true.

So she pressed on, working as a cleaning woman to get the money she needed to raise her children. It was hard, but she never let that keep her head high. Even when everyone dragged Norman's name through the mud, Mia never let herself waver for a moment. She never stopped assuring her children that her husband had been a good and loving man, even when she knew they stopped believing her.

Mia always considered herself a strong woman, but standing in front of the Stein household, Mia found herself feeling far more anxious and fearful than she ever had.

It had all started with a phone call, one from Henry Stein. He had introduced himself and explained how not only had once worked with Norman, but he had information on his current whereabouts. She had been shocked at first and then demanded to know more. But Henry had refused to explain more, saying it was better to tell her in person. Mia was skeptical, but she was determined to learn the truth.

Now here she was about to learn the truth and she wasn't sure if she wanted it. She believed still in her heart that Norman loved her, but there was a part of her that was afraid that she was about to learn he had left her for someone else. There was also the very strong possibility that she was about to learn Norman was dead and Mia didn't know which would be worse. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Mia knocked on the door.

"Hello, you must be Norman's wife," Linda greeted when she opened the door, inviting Mia into the house. "Come sit down, Henry will be here in a moment."

"Do you know what happened to my husband?" Mia asked as the two women went to the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Yes…" Linda hesitantly confirmed. "But it's better if you hear it from Henry."

Mia was frustrated with the answer but waited as Henry came in only a moment later. After making sure Mia was comfortable, Linda left the two alone to talk.

"The first thing you need to know is that Norman is alive… let me finish," Henry began, stopping Mia when she was about to ask Henry for more info. "He wasn't able to get back to you because he was trapped until recently. And he's been…changed… by what he went through."

"Why are you being so vague?" Mia questioned. "My husband has been missing for several decades, just tell me where he is and what happened!"

"It's better if you see for yourself," Henry sighed and gestured towards the doorway. A moment later, a creature stumbled inside. It was human-shaped, and mostly black and white, with a projector for a head with wires from the projector connected to other parts of his body. Even without Henry saying anything, Mia knew this creature was her husband. The way he held himself, how he kept looking at her but tried to avoid her gaze, Mia could recognize him anywhere. Mia didn't hesitate, she went up to him and embraced him.

"Oh Norman," Mia said, holding him closely. "I knew you were still alive."

"Mia," Norman's said, his voice coming through the speaker on his chest, as he wrapped his arms around Mia. They just stood there holding each other for a long time, only occasionally whispering each other's names.

"Norman… what happened to you?" Mia eventually asked, only pulling back enough to look him in the face.

"It's a long story…" Norman replied, leading her back to the couch. Norman and Henry began to explain a fantastic story to Mia, one full of ink, transformation, and magic. One about a world of ink created by a machine, trapped within a time loop of suffering. It seemed unbelievable, but Norman's new form proved that it was true. And occasionally during the story, Mia would see white faces with pie cute eyes peeking around the corner.

"I'm glad you're still alive," Mia said, holding Norman close once they finished. "And I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. Do you think you're ready to come home?"

"Not yet…" Norman replied. "It was a big step just letting Henry call you… I don't think I'm ready to go back to my old home… or to face our children yet… And it's not just about me…"

Mia smiled as she looked at her husband, even after all he had been through he still had his big heart. People always think that his quiet and aloof nature meant he didn't care, but he did care and would look out for those around him. She wasn't surprised that Norman tried to stop Joey when he figured out what was going on, and that was why Joey sacrificed him to the ink. And now he cared for all the traumatized toons he now lived with and he didn't want to leave them.

"Then I'll just have to move down here…" Mia concluded.

"What!?" Norman said in shock.

"Obviously it's going to be a lot of work," Mia continued easily. "It'll take me a few months to get things packed and I'll need to sell the house, plus finding a place down here. But after all these years, I don't want to have to spend more time away from you than I have to. I loved you Norman and I still do with all my heart."

"I love you too," Norman replied, embracing Mia. What did he ever do to deserve such a wonderful woman?

They talked for a while longer, Mia eventually getting introduced to the toons and Sammy. Mia immediately loved all the toons and understood why Norman didn't want to leave them.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for the night?" Linda asked as Mia got ready to leave. "It really isn't a problem."

"No, I have a lot I need to do," Mia replied. "I want to get things started for my move and I'll be visiting as often as I can. Thank you so much for freeing my husband and helping him recover."

"Of course," Henry replied. "He's a good man and no one deserves what Joey did to them."

"I love you, Mia," Norman said, hugging Mia one last time. "I always have…"

"And I always will…" Mia replied, kissing the side of Norman's head. Mia then said goodbye, promising to return as soon as she can. Norman watched her go with joy in his heart. Even after all this time, with how much they had both changed, they still loved each other deeply. Though they had a lot of time to make up, Norman was looking forward to spending it with her.


	47. Show and Tell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: This story is based on something that actually happened to me.

The air was crisp and cool, fall having settled in completely. The trees had changed from their previous green to a variety of reds, oranges, and yellows. It was an amazing view, one Bendy enjoyed immensely. The number of colors that existed outside the Studio and how they constantly changed continued to fill Bendy with joy and wonder. The only thing Bendy was still getting used to was the lack of children playing outside.

Bendy knew where they all were of course, as they had all been talking about school for a few weeks before they had to start going. Some talked about school with excitement, some with dread, but most with just acceptance. Once they started going, all of the neighborhood kids would tell Bendy what they learned and experienced that day, some of them even happy to help teach Bendy what they were learning.

Bendy had asked Henry if he and the others could go to school, but they had all agreed it was too risky. There would be a lot more kids and adults that didn't know about the toons' existence there and while disguises mixed with toon logic could usually fool most adults, the larger imagination of children meant that someone would be able to see through it eventually. And it would only take one adult to believe the kids for the secret to great completely out, leading to only what would be a disaster.

No… it was better than the toons avoid going to school and Bendy was content just to listen to his friends talk about it.

"…pst… Bendy.."

The whisper snapped Bendy out of his thoughts and he looked down to see where it had come from. Crouched beneath the window was Jessica, one of the younger children in the neighborhood. She absolutely loved it when Bendy would make all sorts of stuffed animals out of his ink and then play games with them. She was gesturing for him to come outside.

Confused but curious, Bendy put on some clothes and, after telling Alice who was reading in the living room where he was going, went outside. Jessica was waiting in front of the door and gave Bendy a big smile when she saw him.

"What are you doing here?" Bendy asked. While it wasn't unusual for kids to come up to the house asking the toons to come out and play, Jessica was supposed to be in school at this time. A fact that only seemed to be confirmed by her still wearing her butterfly backpack.

"It's a surprise," Jessica replied with a mischievous giggle. "Come on! I have something I want to show you!"

Jessica then latched onto Bendy's wrist and began leading him down the street, Bendy allowing himself to be pulled along with an amused smile on his face. He knew she wouldn't be leading him anywhere dangerous and he had several ways of escaping if he needed to, so he just enjoyed Jessica's excitement as she leads him down several streets.

A few minutes later, Bendy say they were heading to a large building with a playground in front.

"Jessica… is this your school?" Bendy asked with slight worry as they got closer.

"Yep!" Jessica replied, not noticing Bendy's nervousness. "Come on! This is going to be great!"

Jessica didn't give Bendy a chance to protest as she pulled into the building and down the nervously adjusted his hat as Jessica slowed down in front of what had to be her classroom's door and opened it,

"There you are Jessica," the teacher said with disapproval as they entered. "You shouldn't have been gone so long to retrieve your show and…"

The teacher trailed off as she noticed Bendy hovering close behind Jessica.

"Jessica… who is this?" the teacher asked.

"This is Bendy!" Jessica beamed, bring him to the front of the class. "He's my friend and he's a living cartoon!"

Bendy swallowed nervously after Jessica's declaration, looking around the class as they stared at him. Most were looking at him with a mix of curiosity and disbelief at Jessica's claim. The few kids that were from Bendy's neighborhood looked as stun as Bendy felt. Ink started to drip under Bendy's hat as he glanced at the teacher to gauge her reaction. She blinked a few times in shock before she composed herself.

"Jessica, you shouldn't be making up such stories about your friends," the teacher said before turning her attention to Bendy. "And shouldn't out be in school young man."

"I'm… homeschooled..?" Bendy replied, grasping at a term he was pretty sure he heard his friends say. "My mam and dad have been teaching me."

"His dad's Henry!" Jessica added, still believing this was a normal show and tell. "He draws cartoons, especially ones about Bendy!"

"I see…" the teacher began slowly as she processed the information. "So your dad drew cartoons that were based on you."

"…Sure…" Bendy replied, relaxing slightly as he saw the teacher accept this explanation.

"Well you're welcome to join our class today," She said with a friendly smile before she turned to the class. "So Jessica introduced us to Bendy. And while he's an unusual choice for show and tell, I expect all of you to treat him kindly. Ryan… what did you bring for show and tell?"

Jessica tugged Bendy along and sat him down in a seat beside her. Bendy fidgeted uncomfortably as the rest of the school day went by. While he did enjoy learning the various subjects with the other kids, he felt awkward being there. Even having fun with the kids he knew and making new friends didn't fully erase his feelings of being out of place. So when the final bell finally rang, Bendy couldn't help his sigh of relief.

"This was so much fun!" Jessica cheered' hugging Bendy as they left with the other kids. "Want to come tomorrow?"

"I'll have to see what my dad thinks…" Bendy replied gently, though he had no intention of coming back.

Jessica cheered and talked happily as they walked back to their neighborhood. When Bendy told his family about what happened, they couldn't help but laugh at the whole ridiculous incident. Still, they promised to help make sure nothing like this happened again. While this time everything turned out alright, it was still better to be cautious. To help Bendy feel better about everything, Linda let him have all the cookies he wanted and soon everyone moved on to their next adventure.


	48. Pumpkin Carving

"Alright kids, I've got the pumpkins. Once we get them unloaded, I'll start teaching you how to carve them," Henry said as he opened the trunk of his car, chuckling slightly at the various cheers and excited whistles he got in response. The toons all crowded around the trunk eagerly holding out their hands as they waited for Henry to place a pumpkin in their arms. Once a toon had their prize, they would hurry indoors, place it on the kitchen table, and run back outside to get another one.

"Don't worry, I've got plenty," Henry assured his little crowd as he continued to hand out pumpkins. "There's more than enough for everyone to do at least two you want to. Now let's get inside so we can get started."

The toons happily carried in the last of the pumpkins, putting them on any free space they could find. Linda began handing out knives, warning each toon she gave one to be very careful with them. Once all the toons had a knife and a pumpkin of their choice, they turned to Henry for instructions.

"The first thing we're going to do is carve a hole in the top," Henry explained, demonstrating on his pumpkin. "Make sure it's big enough to put your hand through as we'll be using this hole to scoop out the seeds and eventually put the candle in when you're done. You should have a bowl nearby that you can put all the seeds into and once your done you can start carving out whatever design you want."

The toons watched in rapt attention as Henry worked on his pumpkin, showing them a standard jack o' lantern face when he finished. The toons began work on their own pumpkins, the butcher gang apparently deciding to work together on one. The only toon that didn't start right away was Alice. She was just staring at her pumpkin with a tight grip on her knife.

"Are you alright Alice?" Henry asked softly, coming next to her when he noticed her hesitation.

"Not really," Alice admitted quietly, leaning against Henry. " I know that this isn't the studio and that's just a pumpkin… but having the knife in my hand with the intent to carve out something's insides… I'm just seeing Boris and the Butcher Gang copies there… and what I did to them…"

"It's alright… It's alright…" Henry soothed wrapping one arm around her and rubbing her arm. "You aren't Susie anymore and you would never hurt someone as she did in the Studio... If this is too hard for you though…. I can always do something else with you while the others have their fun…"

"No… I don't want to let she did to keep me from living my life and having fun doing normal things like this," Alice said in determination, straightening and adjusting her grip on the knife. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Alice brought the knife down on the pumpkin. Unfortunately, she couldn't conjure enough will power to use a lot of force and couldn't get the knife in.

"Here… Let me help you," Henry said, keeping one arm wrapped around Alice and guiding her hand with the knife with the other. Together, the carved a hole in the pumpkin and began to pull out all the seeds. Henry continued to help Alice with her pumpkins, the angel relaxing and truly starting to enjoy herself. When they finished, they had a great pumpkin with an outline of a witch on a broom on it.

Looking at all the other's they laughed when they learned that Boris had to work on a second pumpkin as he had eaten the first one. Boris ended up carving himself with a bone in his mouth in his pumpkin. The Butcher Gang managed to a surprisingly good likeness of Linda on their pumpkin, which they proudly showed her when they finished. Bendy apparently was a pumpkin carving machine as he already had four carved and was working on a fifth, having abandoned his knife in favor of turning one of his fingers into a sharp claw.

"I know I said there were plenty of pumpkins, but don't you think you should have left some for the others," Henry teased as he came over to the little Ink Demon. Looking over the pumpkins Henry saw one that looked like a male toon angel, one that reminded Henry of a creepy cutout he saw once in the Studio, one that looked like Bendy but with stitches on one side of his face, another Bendy, but he had carved out the horn area instead of the face so the horns and facial features would show the light and the one that Bendy was working on look similar to Bendy's Ink Demon form.

"I know I shouldn't have used this many, but I wanted to do all my friends," Bendy explained as he finished up the pumpkin he was working on and placing next to the others. "But that's the last one and I won't take any more."

"Don't worry it's fine," Henry assured, rubbing the demon between his horns. "So who are your friends?"

"That's angel Henry…" Bendy said, pointing to the toon angel. "SINdy," gesturing to the creepy cutout one, "Benny" the Bendy with stitches, " "Fate" the other Bendy one, "and I just finished Inky" gesturing the Ink Demon one.

"They live in other universes!" Bendy explained. "I read about them in my books!"

"I see," Henry smiled down, enjoying Bendy's creativity and imagination. "I knew you loved your fantasy and adventure books, but I didn't realis you'd also gotten into science fiction."

"I'm pretty sure I only have one sci-fi book," Bendy replied.

"Then I'll be sure to get you some more," Henry chuckled, straightening up and addressing the whole kitchen. "If everyone's done with their pumpkins, we can take them outside."

The toons eagerly grabbing their pumpkins and heading out. They arranged around the door and along the sidewalk, waiting for Henry to light all the candles. Once he finished, they all admired the glow and felt satisfied with what they were able to create.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The characters on the pumpkins that Bendy carves are Angel Henry inkspottie , SINdy trashboatprince , Benny fullmetaldevil-blog , Fate vespavespa , and Inky zelink-nalu on Tumblr.


	49. Trick or Treat

"Bendy, hold still! I'm almost done," Linda scolded lightly as held Bendy's cape in one hand and a sewing needle in the other.

"Sorry, mom…" Bendy mumbled, stopping his excited bouncing. He did his best to stay still, though he still ended up fidgeting quite a bit. Linda chuckled as she finished her repairers.

"I'm all done," Linda announced, tying off the thread and letting the cape settle into place. "And you better not be climbing trees in your costume again young man, because I'm not going to be fixing it again."

"Thanks, mom!" Bendy replied, giving Linda a big hug. "And I won't."

Bendy then scampered off to join the others as they were getting ready in their own costumes. Bendy was wearing a Batman costume, while Boris was putting on a Superman costume and Alice was dressing as Wonder Woman. The kids in the neighborhood suggested the costumes, as Bendy was practically considered a real superhero and the toons were happy to play along. The Butcher Gang were dressing up as zombies and staying with Linda at home. They were going to hide out among the decorations in the yard scare those that came to the house before giving them candy.

With everyone ready, the toons scampered out into the yard. The Butcher Gang got into position while the others met up with neighborhood kids. Henry stayed back with other adults, chatting with them as they casually followed the crowd of excited children and toon running from door to door. The evening went well and after an hour or so, the kid's bags were full of candy and they were getting tired of running around.

After hitting one last house, they headed back for their own street. The toons said goodbye to their friends and Henry herded them inside, waving to the Butcher Gang as they went. The toons happily sat down on the living room floor and began going through their candy. Bendy and Alice teased Boris for having already eaten most of his candy. Boris just responded by stealing some of theirs, throwing it into his mouth, and chewing it with a big grin. Bendy and Alice cried out and tackled him. They giggled as they rolled around before Bendy suddenly sat up, looking off into the distance with his eyes glowing slightly brighter.

"Bendy… what's wrong?" Alice asked, sitting up as well and looking at him in worry.

"It's Emily…" Bendy replied, still staring off into the distance. "She's calling me through the necklace I made her."

"Oh no," Alice gasped in worry. "Is it serious? Do we need to get Henry? The police?"

"No…" Bendy replied, tilting his head slightly as if he were listening to something. "It's nothing like that… In fact…"

A large mischievous grin split across his face as he began to transform.

"I'm going to have a little… **_fun_** …" The Ink Devil concluded before he disappeared through an ink portal. Alice just sighed and went to tell Henry and Linda where Bendy had gone.

* * *

In the basement of Kevin's house, the kids had gathered there to exchange candy and play a few games before they would have to go their separate ways. Things had been going well until Kevin's older brother, James, and some of his friends had come down and was threatening to take all their candy.

"Give it back!" Kevin shouted, trying to jump and get his bag.

"If you want it so bad, come and get it," James mocked, holding the bag out of reach as his friends did the same with the others. "Besides, we're brothers, and aren't brothers supposed to share?"

"If you don't give it back, you're going to be sorry!" Emily warmed.

"Oh is the little girl going to cry for mommy?" One of Jame's friends said, making all the others laugh.

"And here I thought you considered yourselves all grown up for befriending a demon…" James continued. "Well... That little freak isn't here to help you now…"

Almost on cue the basement filled with inky shadows, making the teens drop the candy bags in surprise while the kids all grinned in relief and happiness.

 ** _"Did someone summon me?"_** Bendy asked, the Ink Devil's voice echoing all around and making it impossible to tell where it was coming from.

"Stay back you monster!" James tried to sound brave as his friends all gathered around him in fear.

 _ **"Now that's not very nice…"**_ the Ink Devil scolded. **_"Calling people monsters when you're the one stealing from others. Now apologize to them! Or I'm going to get really… angry…"_**

"You're not going to do anything," James scoffed, somehow finding confidence. "My brother and his little friends have been going on an on how you're a nice demon and don't hurt anyone."

 ** _"Haven't they also told you how I hunt down corrupted souls?"_ **The Ink Devil laughed. **_"How I go after those that would hurt others? And with you guys stealing from my friends… well… even you should be able to figure out what that means…"_**

"I'm not afraid of you!" James shouted. Some of his friends joined him in the shout while others looked like they wanted nothing more than to run.

_**"If that's so… then look up…"** _

The teens immediately looked up to see the Ink Devil attached to the ceiling above them, his head was turned completely backward so he could look down on the teens, his sharp teeth on full display in a manic grin.

**_"Boo"_ **

The Ink Devil lunged at the group, though he purposely missed landing on any of them. Still, the sight of the Ink Devil coming at them was enough to send the group screaming out of the basement, causing Bendy and all the kids to erupt into laughter.

"That was great!" Kevin said, still chuckling as he and the other kids came over to praise Bendy. Bendy only stayed a few minutes longer, joking with his friends and making sure the teens didn't return. Once he was satisfied, Bendy prepared a portal home and accepted the candy his friends were offering him as thanks. Bendy knew he was probably going to get in trouble for running off like that, but seeing his friends happy was worth it. Besides, the teen's faces were priceless. Giggling at the image, Bendy stepped through the portal for home.


	50. Surprise

Bendy awoke slowly that morning, becoming aware of his surroundings in stages. The softness and warmth of his blanket, the faint sounds of the wind rustling the trees, and Ink Blot curled up nest him, purring softly. All these things seemed to invite the little toon to stay in bed and sleep the day away, but even though there was a part of him that wanted to, Bendy could feel an excited energy fill his being. It just isn't possible for a toon to spend a whole day being lazy. Even Boris, who was the laziest of the toons, still spent plenty of time playing with the kids or tinkering away at some project of his. So with only a small amount of reluctance, Bendy sat up with a yawn.

The first thing Bendy noticed was that he had slept in a lot later than he usually did. While sleeping in had become a habit of his, courtesy of his late-night exploits, usually, someone woke him up or the general nosiness of everyone's activities would rouse him. It was then he noticed how quiet the house was. Bendy knew everyone was still inside, as he could sense their ink and see the glow of their souls, but they weren't making any of their usual commotions.

He could also tell they were all really excited about something, as all of their souls were shining brightly with that emotion, but for the life of him, Bendy couldn't figure out what everyone was excited about. They had just had Halloween a few days ago and there weren't any other big holidays for a few weeks. As far as Bendy knew, no one was expected to come over. As far as Bendy could tell, it was just another normal day.

His curiosity getting the best of him, Bendy hopped out of bed, Ink Blot in his arms, and started heading downstairs. Everyone's excitement increased when they heard him moving, only making Bendy more curious about what was going on. He could tell everyone was in the living room, but they had the lights off and the curtains drawn shut so he had a hard time seeing what they were doing, though it did seem a lot more crowded in there than normal.

"Dad? Mom? What's going on?" Bendy asked as he reached the bottom floor and headed into the living room.

"Surprise!"

Everyone shouted as the lights were turned on, momentarily blinding Bendy. Blink the spots out of his eyes, Bendy gasped in shock at seeing the room decorated with balloons in streamers with a cake on the table surrounded by colorfully wrapped presents.

"What is all this Bendy asked?" Once he was able to find his voice.

"It's your birthday silly," Alice giggled, sticking a party hat on Bendy's head. "So of course you're celebrating it."

"I thought my birthday was in February," Bendy replied, wracking his memory. While dates and times were a hard thing to grasp in the perpetually dim studio, especially once it had been turned into an inky hell, Bendy had always had the impression that February held some special significance to him.

"Most people do consider February 10th to be your birthday," Henry explained, coming over and scooping up the toon. "That was the day your first episode aired and so most of the Studio and the public treated that day as your birthday. But to me… today had always been your birthday. It was on this day that I created you… first drawing you on paper, eager to introduce you to the whole world. Don't you think this day is a lot more appropriate?"

"Yes," Bendy nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. The day his dad created him was far more special than the day people first saw him on screens.

"Now how about we get this party started," Henry suggested with a grin, getting cheers from all the toons. The day passed by in a happy blur, full of games and sweets followed by presents. Alice and Sammy performed a song they had composed, the Butcher Gang gave Bendy a potted flower they had grown themselves, Boris gave Bendy a windup toy train he had built with the help of Tom and Norman, and Linda and Allison gave Bendy some paints so he could paint all the sculptures he liked to create.

But Bendy's favorite present was the one Henry gave him, the very first sketch Henry drew of him in a beautiful frame. Bendy couldn't help but tear up a little at seeing it. Even after the falling out, Henry had had with Joey, he still cared about Bendy and the toons to hold onto the sketches after all these years. Bendy hugged Henry for a long time before finally enjoying the party.

As Bendy got ready for bed that evening, he couldn't help but smile at the sketch as he put it on the table next to his bed. He was so lucky to have a Creator that loved him so much, even after all the hardships and trials Bendy ended up putting him through. His Creator loved him and Bendy loved his Creator. No matter what, Bendy would do all he could to keep his family safe. With that in mind, Bendy drifted off with dreams full of his loving family…


	51. Thanksgiving

The Stein Household was bustling with activity, especially in the kitchen. The Butcher Gang were busy peeling and boiling potatoes, Boris and Bendy were peeling and cutting apples, Alice was rolling out pie crust and putting it in pans. Linda was overseeing all the toons and putting together a salad. A faint smell of cooked turkey was slowly filling the room as the oven worked hard. Henry, Sammy, and Norman were moving aside the furniture in the living room to make room for some large tables while Allison and Tom brought in chairs with the help of Julie and Jacob, her fiancé, and Hailey, the Stien's youngest daughter.

Hailey had taken the existence of the toons in stride and was happy to have them join the family. She especially loved joining them on pranks, which resulted in a minor prank war before Linda forced everyone to have a ceasefire. Jacob, on the other hand, seemed to have trouble processing the fact that the toons were real and it took several hours before he could do anything but stare at them. The toons were used to the mixed reactions their existence got by now and handled it pretty well. They embraced Hailey as a pranking partner and would start making silly faces whenever they caught Jacob staring at them, many of which weren't humanly possible and of caused him to have a startled look. Once Jacob got used to the fact the toons were real, he warmed up to them pretty quickly and loved exchanging puns with them.

The whole atmosphere was cheerful as everyone worked together for the coming feast, the increasingly good smells wafting from the kitchen only served to grow everyone's appetites. Finally, the table was set and the food was ready. Everyone eagerly took their place at the table watching hungrily as Henry carved up the turkey and began dishing it out.

"Now before we start eating," Linda spoke up as Henry continued to serve the turkey, getting disappointed whistles and pleading looks from the toons and even a few adults. "I want everyone to say what they're thankful for. It has been very eventful for all of us and I think it's important to remember all the good things that have happened. Who wants to go first?"

"I will!" Alice volunteered with a shy smile. "I'm grateful for the chance to finally be myself, to not have to share my mind and body with someone else. I'm grateful for this family that accepts me despite the things I did in the Studio. And I'm very grateful for Henry, our Creator, our dad, for saving us from the Studio."

"Thank you, Alice," Linda said, before looking around the table. "Who wants to go next."

The Butcher Gang went next, saying how they're grateful for flowers and plants, for Linda teaching them all sorts of things. Boris talked about how he loved being able to try all sorts of new and delicious food and learning to play new songs. Norman said he was grateful to have reconnected with his wife and to learn about the wonderful woman his daughters have become. Allison and Tom talked about how they were happy to finally be truly reunited and for their new life together. Sammy grumbled about stupid this whole thing was before admitting he was grateful to finally be able to play music properly. All of them mentioned how grateful they were to Henry for saving them from the Studio. Julie, Jacob, and Hailey didn't really say as much as the others, mostly saying things about how they were happy to meet the toons and that the toons and ink creatures were suffering anymore.

"I'm grateful for the Ink Machine," Bendy said quietly when it was his turn, looking down to avoid everyone's eyes. "I know the Ink Machine was the source of so much pain and suffering, but without it… without it, none of us would be here. Most of us wouldn't exist and we'd never been have been able to see colors, or to have friends, or to be a family."

"I'm grateful for it too," Henry said, comfortingly rubbing the little Ink Demon between his horns, getting a soft purr in response. "Yes, I wish so many hadn't lost their lives to the ink, but there's nothing we can do about that. Life is full of hardships, even without black magic and time loops. But having all of us together and enjoying life convinces me every time that it's worth it. We've all suffered a lot, but we have an unshakable bond because of it. We are a family and nothing will change that. I'm so grateful I accepted the invitation to go back to the studio and that I was able to save you all and to let the others pass on. And while I'm sure we'll face hard times again as that is just how life is, I know together we'll be fine. I love having all of you here and I wouldn't change that for the world."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Linda smiled, wiping a tear from her eye. "Now, I think I've made you all wait long enough. Let's dig in!"

Everyone happily agreed and began to eat, light conversation and jokes willing the air between bites of the delicious food. It was an unusual sight to see toons, ink creatures and humans eating together like this, but there was no doubt that they were family.


	52. Snow Day

When Henry walked downstairs that morning, he was greeted by sight of his toons gathered around the windows, Alice, Boris, and Bendy around one and the Butcher Gang in front of the other. This sight wasn't unusual, though it had become rarer over time. During their first few months after escaping the studio, the toons could often be found by windows, marveling at seeing all the colors and life the outside world had to offer. Sunrise was a very popular time for them to be at the windows, though as time passed and they got a bit more used to being free, they stopped gathering quite as often. Bendy kept it up the longest, only really stopping when his nighttime activities meant he started to sleep in. For all the toons to be gathered around the window must mean something new was out there.

"What's everyone looking at?" Henry asked as he approached the toons.

"Color… gone…" Edgar started trying to explain, sounding both confused and amazed. The Butcher gang were the last of the toons to be able to start learning the human language. For a while, they thought it might be impossible for them to learn until Charley managed to say "flower" when they brought the first flower they had grown to show to Linda. Linda had been working with them since then to help them learn and, while they had been making a lot of progress, only Charley could speak in short full sentences at the moment. Still, that didn't stop Edgar from trying to explain what they were seeing, "White everywhere… sparkly…"

Henry guessed what he was trying to describe and looking out the window confirmed his suspicions. There was a blanket of pure white snow covering everything and it was early enough that it remained undisturbed. The light from the rising sun glistened off the snow, making a truly beautiful sight.

"That's snow right?" Alice asked, never taking her eyes off of the winter wonderland.

"Yes," Henry confirmed, enjoying the look of awe on all his toons.

"I never thought it was so pretty," Bendy whispered, his hand hovering near the glass though not quite toughing it, almost as if he was afraid the view would vanish if he disturbed it. "The cartoon episodes never really showed that."

"Not even the best artist came ever truly match the real thing," Henry agreed, rubbing Bendy between his horns. "And once we have breakfast, you'll be able to play in it."

That statement got a lot of exciting whistles and cheers and the toons rushed to the kitchen. Henry laughed and set about the task of making breakfast. Linda came down not long after that and joined Henry in cooking. They toons past the time waiting for the food to be ready by speculating what playing in the snow will be like and coming up with ideas with what they were going to do. They practically inhaled their food in their excitement the moment it was placed before them. They rushed out of the kitchen so quickly once they were done, they nearly knocked over Sammy and Norman. Henry followed after them, making sure they were all bundled up in warm clothes, to protect them both from the cold and to make sure they didn't get too wet.

Once they were all bundled up, they rushed outside. They didn't get very far before they stopped and stared in wonder again. Once they took in the sight for a few moments longer, they finally started to play. The first thing they did was just run around, attempting to catch the few snow flacks still drifting down from the sky. Once they had each caught a few, they decided to build a snowman. The Butcher Gang worked together to roll a large base while Alice and Bendy teamed up to make the middle section and lift it onto base once the Butcher gang finished. Boris made the head and easily lifted it on top. Bendy made stones of his ink for the snow man's face while the others found some good sticks to use for his hands.

The other kids in the neighborhood started joining them outside as the toons took back to admire their work. Once they got permission from their various parents, the toons and kids headed towards the park of a wide area of untouched snow. Once there, the toons and children started making snow angels. They all got a laugh when Alice's really did look like an angel and Bendy's had his wings, tail, and horns, despite him keeping them hidden.

When Bendy wasn't expecting it, a snowball suddenly hit him in the back of his head. It wasn't thrown too hard and it turned to powder as soon as it hit, but there was enough force to affect Bendy's toon logic. Bendy's head spun around a few times, before coming to a stop completely backward, giving him a perfect view of Chris laughing with another snowball in his hand. Bendy grind, his head staying in place as his body turned around. Bendy scooped up a handful of snow and threw it at Chris. It hit its target perfectly and a snowball free for all. The had a great time running around and throwing snowballs at each other, only stopping once they all started to feel wet and cold.

Once the toons were home, Linda wrapped them all in warm blankets and handed them mugs of hot chocolate. The toons eagerly told their parents how much fun they had and everything they did. The toons had had a lot of fun it was clear they couldn't wait to play in the snow again.


	53. Christmas Cookies

The Stein's kitchen was a flurry of activity. Boris was mixing together cookie dough in two bowls, adding red food coloring to one. Bendy was rolling out pie crust and cutting it into little circles. The Butcher Gang were using cookie cutters to cut gingerbread and sugar cookies into all sorts of shapes and putting them on pans for when they could be put in the oven. Alice was at the stove, melting marshmallows and adding green food coloring. Linda was by Alice, keeping an eye on the toon angel and monitoring the cookies in the oven. She also had to keep Henry and Sammy from sneaking in to steal cookies.

"That's right nice and steady," Linda instructed as Alice mixed in the corn flakes with the melted marshmallows, taking the pot off the stove. "You want to make sure it's mixed well and you'll want to take it out and start forming it into wreaths as soon as you're done as it cools down and sets pretty quickly."

"Thanks, mom," Alice, following Linda's instructions and starting forming the wreaths on the wax paper that had been waiting ready.

"Good," Linda said before she went to check over the others. "Bendy, use less jam otherwise it will leak out the sides of the pie cookies when we bake them. And Boris, leave enough dough for those candy cane cookies!"

Bendy nodded and adjusted the amounts while Boris smiled sheepishly and began forming the white and red dough into candy cane shapes instead of eating. The Butcher Gang showed Linda their trays of cut cookie dough when she came to them.

"You did a great job," Linda praised, getting large smiles from the Butcher Gang. "Let's get those in the oven."

Linda took the trays from the Butcher Gang as the timer on the oven went off. She took the finished cookies out and put the new ones in. Alice started adding, little red candies to her wreaths while Boris reached for another pan to put his cookies on. While Boris was reaching, he accidentally bumped into Bendy who was adding more flour to his rolling pin. Being bumped into caused the little ink demon to spill flour on Edgar. The spider squeaked in surprise and annoyance at suddenly getting flour in his eye. Before Bendy had a chance to apologize, Edgar retaliated with by through some flour back at Bendy but ended up hitting Boris instead as his vision was still slightly blurry.

This ended up causing a flour war to break out, the toons having a free for all as they threw flour at everyone else. They all squeaked and giggled as each of them got large white splotches on different parts of their body, a large white cloud filling the kitchen.

"Alright, that's enough," Linda laughed, putting an end to the flour war. Linda herself was covered in flour along with the toons and Henry laughed at the sight when he came to see what happened. After pictures were taken and the kitchen cleaned, they finished up their baking. After that, the toons got to decorate all the cookies with all sorts of colored frosting, candy, and sprinkles. They had a lot of fun and lots of cookies were eaten, but there were still plenty. Linda divided up the cookies onto several plates and carefully wrapped them.

Once the plates were prepared, Linda and Henry lead the toons outside. They went to each of their neighbors to give them a cookie plate and to sing a Christmas carol. The toons did a lot more whistling than singing in their enthusiasm with Boris even going into a howl occasionally, but there was no denying their cheer. Their neighbors all laughed at the display and happily accepted the offered cookies.

Linda gave each of the toons one last cookie when they all got home as a reward for all their hard work. The rest of the cookies were then put away to be enjoyed over the next few days. The toons helped Linda clean up the kitchen one last time, happily chatting about how much fun they had and which cookie they decorated was their favorite. They all went to bed with smiles on their faces, eager for what other fun actives would come this Christmas season.


	54. Christmas Day

Bendy woke up in the early morning with a grin on his face. While Bendy's nighttime actives usually led to him sleeping in late, today was Christmas and there was no way he was going to sleep in. He quickly, though quietly, got out of bed and tiptoed his way to Boris' bed. The wolf was still sleeping soundly, little Z's floating over him and everything.

"Boris… wake up!" Bendy whispered, shaking the wolf. Boris didn't wake up, rolling over instead to get away from Bendy's hand. Bendy just rolled his eyes and crawled onto the bed, shaking Boris harder and saying "Come, Boris! It's Christmas! Get up!"

Boris seemed to respond this time, letting out a yawn and sitting up. Once Bendy was sure Boris was up, Bendy slipped back to the floor and began making his way to Alice's room. He softly knocked on the angel's door while Boris followed, the wolf yawing again.

"Alice? Are you awake?" Bendy asked after he knocked. When he didn't get an answer, the toon devil opened the door a crack. Peering inside, Bendy saw that Alice was still asleep too, her halo glowing softy from where it rested on the nightstand. Bendy opened the door fully and walked inside. He was going to shake her awake as he did with Boris, but the wolf apparently Boris had other ideas. Boris just scooped her up and began walking out of the room. The sudden movement caused Alice to wake abruptly, letting out a surprised yelp that Bendy quickly shushed. Alice looked annoyed but soon realized what was going on once she woke up fully and a huge smile spread across her face.

The three toons went back into the hall to see Edgar leading a tired Charlie and Barely out of their room. The two groups joined up and snuck downstairs as quietly as they could, all of them freezing when a board let out a creek before moving on once they were sure they hadn't woken any of the adults. The group of toons finally spilled into the living room where they all stopped and stared at the sight.

The Christmas tree's lights were on, providing the only source of light and bathed the room in a soft glow. Piles of Christmas presents, all wrapped in shiny paper and several with large bows, rested underneath the tree. Stockings that were hanging from a shelf were stuffed with unknown treats, but a few candy wrappers and large candy canes could be seen poking out of the tops. The toons all smiled at all of this and eagerly gathering around the tree, starting to sort through the presents to see which ones had whose name on it.

Though it was hard for the toons to wait, they didn't wake the adults until the sun started to come up as Linda had instructed. The moment those first rays were shining on the horizon though, Henry and Linda were awakened by the toons piling on top of them, all of them chatting eagerly and telling them to hurry up. Henry and Linda just laughed at the toons antics and went downstairs to start making breakfast while the toons ambushed Sammy and Norman.

As breakfast cooked, the toons were allowed to take down their stockings and go through them. They were filled with all kinds of candy and a few small toys. They ate some of there and starting throwing their bouncy balls at each other until Sammy told them to knock it off before they broke something. Once breakfast was ready, the toons hurriedly ate it hoping to be able to start opening Christmas presents as soon as possible. To their disappointment though, the adults ate at a normal pace and didn't eat any faster, even when facing the combined puppy dog stares of all the toons.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for the toons, the adults finished eating and they all went into the living room to open their presents. The next hour or so was a blur of torn wrapping paper, whistles and exclamations of excitement, and lots of hugs in thanks. The Butcher Gang got several books on plants, from helping to identify them to how to take care of them, which the eagerly started flipping to see which ones they recognized from helping Linda in the garden. Boris got lots of random parts and some tools he could use to help with his tinkering. He also got a large bone that he happily started chewing on. Alice was given a few songbooks and a small sewing kit, as she had occasionally expressed the desire to learn. Bendy was given lots of books of a wide variety and also a paint set of his own, which he couldn't wait to use on his statues. All of the toons also got a large variety of toys, several of which they started playing with while presents were still being opened.

Sammy was given some blank music sheets and a brand new banjo. He was so stunned by the gift that he didn't even pretend to be grumpy about this whole thing. Norman had been given a bunch of handmade picture frames, which confused him until he opened his gift from Mia. He stared in stunned silence at all the photos of his wife and daughters from the years he missed, only letting out a quiet "thank you." He then spent his time carefully look over each photo before finding the best frame to put it in.

Henry was giving some high-quality pens and pencils as well as a new sketchbook. Linda was given a new cookbook as well as some new gardening tools and handmade flower pots. Both of them received homemade thank you cards from all the toons, each expressing how much they loved Henry and Linda and they were so glad to have them as parents.

Once the presents were all unwrapped and the torn paper through away, the toons all began running around and playing with their various toys, even dragging Sammy and Norman in to play with them. Henry and Linda sat back and watched them with contented smiles on their faces. They were reminded of when their first kids were young and were so happy to see the toons have that same joy and wonder at their first Christmas, despite all the hardships and struggles they've been through both in and out of the Studio,

Everyone could agree, that it was the best Christmas ever.


	55. New Year

It was New Year's Eve and night had long since fallen. The toons and adults had been inside side, eating snacks and playing board games of all sorts to pass the time. The toons were somehow full of energy despite the late hour and were getting really competitive over their games. The adults kept things from getting too out of hand, but it was very loud and rambunctious. Mia, who had come to spend New Year's Eve with her husband and the Stein's, found herself a little overwhelmed from being with the toons and their antics. So Norman took her out to the back to have some quiet time with just the two of them.

"They sure are an… energetic bunch," Mia commented with a smile as she leaned against Normans. "They are sweet kids, but I don't know how Henry and Linda can handle them all the time."

"They can be a handful," Norman chuckled, wrapping an arm around Mia and holding her closer. "But they are normally more well behaved than this. It's only because it's a holiday that they can be a little wilder. Besides, if I remember correctly, our daughters could be just as rambunctious."

"True, they could be a lot to take care of. Especially after…" Mia went quiet for a moment and Norman tightened his embrace slightly to comfort her, reminding her he was here now. "At least they have you and the others to help with the toons. And once I move down here, I'll be willing to help when I can too."

"Have you found a place yet?" Norman asked.

"Yep," Mia nodded. "A nice little house on the next street over. I just need to finish up the paperwork then I'll be able to start the moving process. It'll be just perfect for the two of us. I still think you should let our daughters know you're alive, but I can understand why you're waiting. So I'll wait until you're ready to face them."

"Thanks, honey," Norman whispered, thinking over everything. He was glad to have Mia back in his life and he did want to see his daughters again, but he was afraid. He was afraid that they hated him for leaving them so long ago. Or if they didn't hate him, they would just look at him with disinterest because he was a stranger to them. He knew that only by trying to reconnect with them could he have any real relationship now, but he still wasn't ready. Norman was drawn out of his thoughts by hearing a loud commotion from the house.

"5… 4…"

Norman and Mia chuckled at realizing what was going on.

"3… 2…"

Norman embraced Mia, so happy to be facing this new year with her.

"1… HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Mia kissed Norman on the side of his projector head, laying her head on his shoulder as she enjoyed feeling his arms wrapped around her. Norman was so happy that Mia still loved him and with her at his side, he was sure he could face whatever challenges the new year would bring, even eventually facing his daughters.

Standing side beside, they turned to watch the fireworks as the toons and adults came pouring out of the house to join them. There truly was no better way to start the new year than surrounded by friends and family.


	56. Valentines Day

Linda and Henry woke that morning to the sound of someone, most likely multiple someone's, messing around in the kitchen and the smell of bacon wafting up. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the toons were making breakfast as a surprise and the couple couldn't help but smile. They shared a quick kiss before settling down to see what the toons were planning.

Soon enough, they could hear the toons coming upstairs with excited whispers. Edgar slowly opened the door and poked his head in. When he saw that the couple was awake, he opened the door farther open and moved out of the way for the others to enter behind him. The toons all came in with smiles on their faces while Boris and Alice held trays of food. The toons gave them to their parents, revealing that the toons had somehow managed to make heart-shaped palaces, topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. The couple thanked their toons for the meal and happily ate the deliciously sweet meal.

After breakfast, the toons gave Henry and Linda and their homemade cards. The couple couldn't help but laugh at the wide variety of skill and amount of glitter used to decorate the cards. The couple made sure to thank each toon for their cards and to give each of them a hug. The couple then went for a walk with a picnic basket to enjoy some time alone together.

The walked for a while, sometimes talking but mostly just enjoying the presence of each other's company. When they started to get tired and hungry, the found a nice spot for their picnic. They laughed as they shared their food and Henry revealed he had gotten Linda some chocolate covered strawberries. They had a great time out together and the sun had begun to set by the time they got back to their house. When they opened the door, Linda was surprised to find rose petals strewn across the ground, creating a path, and center candles burning intermittently beside them.

"You knew about this didn't you," Linda accused teasingly as she looked at the setup.

"The toons wanted to help make this day special for us," Henry laughed. "So of course I let them. Come on, let's keep going."

Henry took Linda by the hand and led her down the path of rose petals, coming out to the back yard. Lights had been set up along with heart-shaped decorations. In the center of grass, a small table had been set up with lit candles and roses decorating it. Alice and Boris were there, dressed as waiters and holding out the chairs for the couple. Piano music could be heard, obviously, Sammy's doing though the ink man wasn't anywhere to be seen, creating a really romantic feel.

Linda and Henry sat down and Boris gave them each a menu while Alice poured their drinks. Linda couldn't help but laugh how each section of the menu only had one item and told the toons she couldn't wait to try what they made.

Alice and Boris then went back into the kitchen where the Butcher Gang were busy cooking with Bendy helping to read the instructions. The kitchen was a pretty big mess, but the food seemed to be coming out perfectly. Alice and Boris brought out the first course of salad and breadsticks, which the couple happily dug into. Once the main course of pasta was served, Alice stayed outside and began to sing along with Sammy's playing. Finally came dessert, which the Butcher Gang brought out, of a beautiful chocolate cake. As the couple ate, Bendy, in a Cupid costume, began flying around and sprinkling more rose petals around the couple.

"Thank you so much guys," Linda said, turning to the toons once everything was done. "This is so much better than going to some restaurant. Thank you. This was a perfect day."

"Happy Valentine's Day Linda," Henry smiled, taking Linda's hand.

"Happy Valentine's Day Henry," Linda replied. The two leaned forward to kiss. Half the toons squeaked in disgust and embarrassment and the other half sighed at the sweetness of the whole thing. No matter what though, they were all glad to be with those they loved.


End file.
